One More Time, One More Chance
by RaihnSage
Summary: [Cross posted from AO3]The Kiryuuin family has a dark hidden secret. Soichiro tried to get the word out, and now it's up to Satsuki to undo the wrong that her mother has done. This is a look at an alternate universe where Satsuki is trying to find her younger sister, and trying to rebuild an entire life that's been lost for over a decade.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer** : I own nothing.

 **A/N** : This a longer work that came to me one of those days. It's the usual cup of angst but I will be writing more fluff to even things out.

* * *

As the car stopped at the designate parking spot, the engine was barely allowed to die before the door swing open and shut in a manner of a second. For anyone who knows her, they would immediately say that this is a very unusual behavior. She never rushes things, she is always very graceful with every movement, with every utterance. For her to leave the car hastily and walk towards the building…It was indeed very unusual. She could barely remain standing still, waiting for the occupants to open the door and let her in. Once she is face to face with the middle aged woman at the door, her mask was perfectly on. A cool and collected demeanor that perfectly concealed the array of emotions she is feelings right at this moment. It almost felt unreal. Most leads told her that what she was doing was in vain. She had no direction, not even a picture she could start with. All she had was the knowledge that this person existed somewhere.

She was around ten years old when she learned the whole story. Even then, she felt her heart shatter at the revelation. It was at that moment that she decided it would be her life mission to find what has been taken from her. Vowing that she will do all that she can to undo this wrong that's been committed. She was perceptive, keeping a sharp ear and a keen eye on anything that might give out a clue, but there was none. The matter was never spoken about, not a name was uttered, for all she knows, she's been chasing a mirage, an illusion that existed only in her head. She didn't give up, only merely pushing her plans around, deciding what step comes first before she gets the answers she seeks.

Her first step was to weaken the one person who held all the answers. Her own mother, Kiryuuin Ragyo. To do that, Satsuki focused on her studies, and securing alliances. If she could take everything away from her, Ragyo will have no choice but to give up some answers. She worked diligently, proving herself as more than fit to sit on top of a world famous company, a company that will one day become hers. Or that was the plan. Around two years ago, after her graduation and starting her extensive quest, came the unexpected news; Ragyo was in a car crash, she didn't survive. It was such an anticlimactic end to a woman that's been nothing but a tyrant. It left a somewhat bitter taste in her mouth, having passed on so casually, taking too many secrets with her to her grave.

Running all of REVOCS was her job now; it took a lot of her time, and at the same time, she could go back to her mission without looking over shoulder every now and then. But the question was always there: how do you find someone that doesn't exist?  
Satsuki had a lot to work with; matching DNA samples of herself and her parents, running checks with every hospital in the country, waiting for a matching result within a specific time period. It was a lot of work, and an even longer wait. Surely, a person would be hospitalized at least once in their life, right?

She has nearly forgotten about it, grabbing to the tiny sliver of hope that something might turn up on day, all while she tried other leads. Who was present on the day of the incident? Who might have seen where the infant was taken? She contacted several orphanages asking about that particular day, how many children were admitted, where are thereabouts now. At times, Satsuki felt she was getting close to finding something, at times, she felt as if she was chasing her own tail. One thing remained persistent: her search reaped no results.

She was sitting in her office after a long day of work; she has shut down her laptop and was gazing out of the window, looking at the shaking trees that were being tossed around by the strong wind. It was the perfect pastime, an ideal way to unwind and relax herself into retiring for the night. Perhaps, with some luck, she'd be able to go to sleep and remain sleeping for the duration of the night. With everything that's been going on, her sleep was patchy at best, insomnia being a familiar companion. She has somehow convinced herself that something would come up in the dead of the night, while she is fast asleep, hence, sleep was discarded as she stayed on the alert.

Ironically, the call was received in the middle of the day. She has turned off her office phone, decided to organize her work and take the minimal with her home for a change. She instructed her secretary to divert all calls, to call off every meeting.

'It's urgent.' Hououmaru Rei said, covering the speaker with one hand.

Her instructions were clear.  
'They want to speak to you in person.' Hououmaru persisted.

Did she stutter?

'They say its about …' That's when she took the call, nearly snatching the phone from the woman's hand, walking into her office and shutting the door behind her.

Well, that was that. Her efforts didn't go to waste, the ghost she's been chasing is real. And soon, very soon, she is going to make things right. The call ended around an hour later, with nearly a page full of details. Locations, names, and possibilities. At the end, there was a list of five names, now it is upon her to check each one out, see which one is the lost infant from long ago. Of the five, with her resources and background checks, four were registered to a parent, even if only for a short period of time. Her eyes fell on the fifth name, it was shrouded in mystery just like the mirage she's chasing. Circling the name and underlining the location, Satsuki knew where she needed to go next.

Of course, things won't be as easy as they might seem to be— there was a lot to look into; she cannot just barge in there and claim to be family. If she needs to do this right, she needs a game plan, something to work with before she proceeds.

Her eyes would fall on the name, she'd barely whisper it, familiarizing herself with it. But that was the extent of it. With no birth certificate or any legal document, she'd be grasping at strings. She needs a solid evidence, anything that would prove that Ragyo did indeed give birth to another child, even if she disposed of it, HER, right after she was born. It was never spoken about, never mentioned for the entirety of Satsuki's life. It was Soichiro who brought it up, telling her about the discarded infant, and promising to find her himself.

Ragyo killed him. It was passed off as an unfortunate accident, but Satsuki knew better than to believe that lie. Soichiro knew Ragyo's secret, and she silenced him forever. Satsuki feigned ignorance; never bringing up the issue or hinting that she knew anything. Instead, she focused on not getting on Ragyo's bad side. She has done everything the tyrant wanted, complying to her every wish and being the perfect daughter, never questioning her mother or her actions. It was this act that led to Satsuki knowing of the secret office. A place where Soichiro hid the truth.  
The accident was the result of Ragyo failing at getting a location. What he hid was going to bring everything to light, she destroyed the man in order to bury that secret with him. But it wasn't gone, not quite.

He gave her a key, with few words to work with. If worst came to worse, he would entrust this to his first born.  
"Satsuki," She was no older than seven, sitting in her room reading one of her favorite novels.

"What is it, father?" Replacing the bookmark, she turned towards him, giving him her full attention.

"Were I to give you something to keep safe, would you know where to hide it so no one could find it?" It was very strange, but she didn't question it. Her father was the good parent, what he wants, she'd gladly do.

She nodded, wondering where this was going. It was then that he gave her a small copper key.

"Can you hide this key where no one would find it? Don't let me know either." He didn't elaborate further, but she understood. This was something big.

"Is something the matter?"

"Well you see," He pulled a chair and sat next to her, about to reveal a secret that would haunt her from that moment on. A shadow looming over her, reminding her of a loving father and a baby sister, both whose were taken from her far too soon.  
Tossing the memory aside, she ran her finger along the copper key, she still hasn't found the door it would open. She alternated her gaze from the paper to the key, back and forth, until it clicked.

"Matoi!"

It was a name, so unlike theirs. It was— something that her father would do.

"Matoi." Came the whisper in her ear as he told her the shocking truth. He didn't elaborate further, she didn't press him.

A key and a name, it was all he left her before dying and leaving everything in her hands.

She picked up the phone and called the two people who could fish out old information in record time. She gave them an hour to come to her office to discuss a matter of utmost importance.

Forty five minutes later the three of them sat in Satsuki's office, three cups of tea sat between them on the coffee table. Satsuki looked at the man and woman sitting across from her, trusting in their ability, and trusting them enough to let them on this whole matter.

"I want you to dig up a name, it goes back as long as fifteen years ago. I trust it's within you ability to do so?" Right down to business, she has no more time to waste on pleasantries.

"Hm, I can dig up information older than that. This should be a piece of cake." Houka Inumuta declared, pushing his glasses up his nose.

"Hououmaru, I want you to find out where Ragyo was hiding during that time period. Being heavily pregnant and having a child are not things one can keep hidden.. I want a time and a place."

"On it."

"I do not need to remind you that what goes on in this room stays in this room."

"Of course."

"You needn't worry about it."

With that, the meeting has concluded. Both of them promising to bring in results as soon as they could. However long they take, it was the only time she'd catch a rest before running down the same trail once more. She leaned back on her chair, trying to relax and tell herself that she is getting closer. A child with no parents or documents, bearing the last name of 'Matoi'…It shouldn't be much longer now; soon she will be reunited with who was taken from her.

It was around three days later that she met Houka and Rei, now that they both have figured out what she asked them of.

"Ragyo did disappear for quiet some time; she took off around early July, and returned near the end of October." Res read her notes.

"Diging up further, I found that she was in a remote village, with a small number of population. As it was a small and rural community, no one really knew who she was. To them, she was just any regular person who came to reside in a small village for a change of pace and scenery. Around October, a few days before she left the village, she gave birth. Looking up the names of who was born around that time, around five children were issued birth certificates. Four of them were children of the villagers, with the fifth one being missing, along with the official document of her birth."

Houka handed her a folder with a single paper inside of it. Taking the paper, it was the birth certificate she was looking for all along.

"Aside from issuing a birth certificate, the data is added to the national database. Even with the paper gone, I easily accessed the database and looked through all the born children during that period, cross-matching the name and dates. I believe this is who you're looking for." Inumuta finished.  
Satsuki looked at the paper again, her eyes catching the name: Ryuuko Matoi, born to Isshin Matoi, no mother.

"Ragyo left alone, the infant was left at the hospital without being named or identified. Few days later an old man, this Isshin Matoi, showed up and claimed to be the father." Rei continued.

"Coincidently, the appearance of this Isshin Matoi matches the disappearance of Soichiro Kiryuuin, the appeared and disappeared at the exact same time."

It was him; Soichiro took the discarded child, gave her a name and left her for anyone to find her. How could Ragyo do this to a helpless child? Keeping her anger at her dead mother at bay, she asked them the most important question.  
"Do you have a location?"

"Here." Inumuta handed her a slip of paper with an address and a phone number on it. With this and the birth certificate, there was nothing standing in Satsuki Kiryuuin's way.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

 **Summary** : Satsuki gets all Satsuki-y and it scares everyone.

* * *

Ryuuko sat on the hard wooden bench, fidgeting every now and then. She wasn't one for sitting still for too long, especially when she wasn't told anything besides packing her things and coming down here. Whatever, they were probably sick of her by now and booting her out at last. That or, sending her to another shitty institution like they usually do when she'd be around for a while. Whatever it was, it won't be anything new. She hasn't been around one place long enough to truly settle, the only thing she succeeded at was making more enemies and get into more fights, that was the consistent part of her life, at least.

Still, she wondered what this was about. Usually she'd be out the door as soon as she came down, the assholes would be more than happy not to see her face ever again. As she was older now, not many were looking into someone of her age; even when they did— nothing good ever came from going to someone's house. If she has a saying into it, she would never ever go with someone anywhere. She'd rather live on the streets and endure this terrible place than follow someone to where doors closed behind them and no one could do anything to stop what would happen.

She sighed and tried not to think about those times. Kicking the small bag sitting at her feet to give herself something to do. This better not be the case. If someone wanted to take her to their home and do whatever the pleased to her…They'd have another thing coming their way. She no longer sits around doing nothing, she can fight back and is not afraid to put assholes in their places. Better yet, she can just pick up her bag and bolt out of here; something wasn't sitting right with her about this at all. She wouldn't look at the closed door, she tried to push all the images away, try and focus on something else.

"Ugh screw this!" She stood on her feet, grabbed the bag and ran towards the door, jumping the fence might not be easy but it's doable. She tossed the bag over, pushing herself up the old fence, scrapping her leg and injuring her palms as she climbed over, jumping down, falling on top of the bag. Picking it up again, she ran as fast as she could, with no destination in mind. She knows how to keep herself safe, everyone thinks they know better than her, she'll show them what she's capable of.

* * *

The day was gray and dark when Satsuki got into the car and drove towards the address given to her less than a day ago. It was over an hour drive, the building standing alone amidst the forest and nature, providing a peaceful beautiful scenery. She has passed the nearest town some fifteen minutes ago, picking up the speed in order to get this entire thing over with. The sky threatened to rain at any moment, the weather was damp and humid when she left the car and climbed the steps leading to the main door. The sound of children playing out in the back carried over to where she was, ringing the old door bell.

Moments later, the door swung open, revealing an older woman.

"How may I help you?"

"I want to speak to who's in charge of this place. My name is Satsuki Kiryuuin." Be it either her name, or her tone, Satsuki was immediately welcomed in. The house was as a big as it was old, it housed a lot of children, some who were abandoned, and some lost their parents and no one was willing to help them. She hoped that her trip here won't be in vain. She would leave here with the little sister she never got to meet.

Inside the room she was taken to, sat a big wooden desk, a woman with round thick glasses was sitting behind it. She appeared to be in her sixties, given her looks and the lines around her face.

"I'm looking for a Ryuuko Matoi." There is no need to drag this, as there was no time for pleasantries. She was here for only one thing, the sooner she gets to it the better.

"Of course, Lady Kiryuuin, we certainly do have a child of that name. Are you looking into adoption? I can recommend you younger children to bond with more easily." The woman spoke, wondering whether she should mention that Ryuuko was one of the worst behaved children in the building, being often isolated from others as to not lash out as she usually does.

"I'm not looking for adopting anyone. I'm simply looking for a family member." She slid the birth certificate over the smooth surface.

"Why, of course. We will call Ryuuko down here, just give her some time to gather her belongings while we sort the paper work out." The woman who opened the door for her earlier left to retrieve the girl. It has gone without issues, and Satsuki felt more at ease now that the worst was over. The birth certificate was authentic, the names not easy to forge. All that was left now was sorting out the legal matters, then it will all truly be over.

Ryuuko was outside, she'd be seen straddling one of the older boys, one of her knees crushing his lung while her hands were at his collar. She was about to punch him in the face, to break his nose and teach him not to pick on here again, when she was yanked on her feet and away from him.

"Ryuuko! How many times have I precisely told you not to get into fights with everyone?" The woman scolded.

Ryuuko shrugged, hardly paying her any attention. She knows the drill, and she knows what's coming next. She was yanked inside, her feet on autopilot as she's been through this many times. But instead of the usual route, she was instead taken only to the second floor where the bedrooms were.

"Pack your things."

They were getting rid of her. Good, she was very sick of this place and everyone in it. Two years were more than enough. She bit a witty remark, reasoning that being out of here is way better than ending up… there. Last time was bad enough, she didn't want to go back, not so soon. She packed the few clothes she had quickly, following the woman she hated so much back downstairs and sitting on the hard bench, wondering what was happening behind that closed door.

Satsuki signed the last papers that finalized everything. Ryuuko was legally out of this place, and Satsuki is her legal guardian until she is of age.

"I'll call her in."

This was it, the moment was finally here. Satsuki couldn't believe that she has reached her goal. She's been at this for years, the closer she felt she was getting, the further away she actually was. The seemingly endless circles she was running around have finally reaped their fruits. The life Soichiro gladly gave away in order to save this particular child—Satsuki will honor her father's wish and take care of this child he adored so much.

Soon, very soon, she will be in her way back with that one missing piece with her. The sound of water hitting glass brought her out of her thoughts; it has started to rain heavily, the outside barely visible through the fog and steam. The door opened again, instead of seeing the younger girl with the woman, it was only the woman, her face pale and she stammered.

"She…She's gone."

"What do you mean gone?" Satsuki thundered, her rage threatening to take over.

"I left her at the bench right outside here, but she's nowhere to be found. Her bag is gone too, she probably ran away."

"Is your security so lax the children can come and go as they please?" This was impossible. Not when she was that close—

"It isn't, Ryuuko is too willful and stubborn, she'd risk injury and bodily harm just to get her way. It is not easy to climb over the fence. But fear not, Lady Kiryuuin, she would not have gone far, not in this weather."

"Find her." She commanded.

Satsuki picked her phone and called Inumuta, of everyone who think they can be of help, he's the one with eyes everywhere. Of all people in this room, she trusted him with the task of finding the escaped child.

"Inumuta."

"Yes, Lady Satsuki?"

"I want you to run a satellite surveillance of my location, start from 14:12 hours until now. See if anyone has left the facility at all, and try to see where they went."

"I'm on it." She heard few clicks on his ever present laptop.

"Ah, there it is. I can see someone jumping the fence, taking off towards the direction of the forest, the opposite route of where the town is."

"Where is it now?"

"Walking along the river, heading north."

"I see. Thank you."

"I'm at your disposal."

Satsuki relayed the information to the otherwise clueless people, commanding them to hurry up and bring the girl back. They scurried out, not wanting to aggravate her any more than she already was.

* * *

Ryuuko tried to ignore the rain and kept going, trying to put as much distance between her and that miserable place as she could. The rain got heavier, and visibility was getting worse. She's been walking along the river, hoping it would take her somewhere. But for now, she needs to rest somewhere, take shelter from the rain that soaked her to the bone. She kept moving, trying to spot a good place to rest in until the storm was over. Her bag was getting heavy, her feet were dragging on the muddy ground, and the temperature only seemed to be dropping.

She saw a big old tree, its roots sticking out from the ground, the long branches somehow lessening the intensity of the floods coming out of the sky. Dropping her bag, she sat on the damp cold ground, pulling her knees up and burying her face in them, thinking of a plan once the rain would let up. Going back was out of the question. That place was unbearable to be at, and whoever was sitting in that room to take her with them had something in mind for her. Something she wanted to take no part in. She's been through this enough times to know where it was going, and she wasn't interested. She'd keeping going up north, once out of the forest she can find the nearest highway and hitch a ride, go anywhere from here.

* * *

"Lady Satsuki, target has taken shelter under a tree approximately fifty feet away from the river, north eastern side."

"Thank you Inumuta."

She relayed the information to the search party, silently daring them to screw this up one more time and lose the girl again. It was a simple task, yet no one seemed to do it right. How could they lose her in the first place? She paced the room to keep her thoughts at bay, debating whether she should go out there herself. Inumuta was her eyes out there, he has his eyes on the figure he saw jumping the fence and taking off towards the forest. If she was to go out there and lose signal on her phone, she'd be no better than a blind rat in a maze. All she has to do is stay put and wait, as hard as it sounded, it was about all she could do. She has been waiting for years, few more hours won't hurt her.

* * *

Ryuuko remained in her spot, shielding her face from the onslaught of the rain that threatened to drown everything around, her included. It was silly; of all days it decided to rain and storm on the day she decided to escape. The funny part was that she didn't even plan on any of this, she just…panicked and picked the easier option, it seemed easy at the time, with the weather clear with no hint of any rain aside from the dark clouds that painted everything in dark colors.

She didn't mind. Escaping was the right thing to do; she was sick of the life she was leading. Always being blamed for everything going wrong, even if she was only defending herself, not staring any of the shit she's caught doing. She tried explaining but no one listens, it was easy to pin everything on one person and take it out on them, she was sick of being that person every time. It's only been some time, an hour or two, but she was feeling better already. She was finally free. No more sitting around waiting for a fake family looking into expanding itself, they were all liars. Just looking for their next play thing to let loose on. They'd soon get bored with her and bring her back to where they took her from, she no longer held any value, to be returned until the next customer came, and so on and so forth.

"Ryuuko Matoi! What in the world do you think you're doing?" That voice again, so persistent.

She was yanked to her feet by her arm, she saw three figures dressed in heavy raincoats and umbrellas.

"Pick your bag and move!" The hold on her arm got tighter, preventing any attempt of anymore escape. She could fight this one, chances are, she'd succeed. But there were three others, and the weather was terrible, slowing her down and making things harder. She will have to bear it for now. Either leave with a maniac or be up in that tower. Whichever was the lesser of two evils, she'd still get out and do this again. She won't even let the rain stop her, look where she ended up the moment she decided to catch her breath and wait the storm out.

But she wasn't one for giving up and resigning to her fate, not without putting up a fight first. She stopped moving, trying in vain to yank her arm free from the iron grip that's been digging at her skin.

"Let go of me!" She yelled, kicking one of her her legs in the woman's direction, trying to topple her over so she can take off once again.

The slap sounded as loud as the raging storm, it knocked her off her feet, before being pulled up by her arm once again.

"You're going to be someone else's problem for now. It is in your interest to behave yourself and perhaps they won't send you back here. If you were not leaving immediately I'd teach you exactly how you must behave when speaking to those who are in charge." Well, good riddance then if she was leaving this shit hole. She can escape from that person and no one would ever see or hear of her again, joke's gonna be on all of them stupid adults.

She dragged her feet along the muddy ground, slowing down the inevitable. Her walking got slower the closer they got to the building, a bile in her stomach was rising as cold dread filled her. She wanted to stop, to pull her arm free and run off once again. But it was too late now, they were past the gate, and going the steps towards the main door. She kept her gaze down as she was led to the still closed office, now shivering violently as the cold breeze of interior of the house ran by her.

Satsuki stood up and looked at the figure by the door. She was small, roughly around five feet tall. She stood there, soaked wet and shivering, her eyes held so much anger and defiance. Satsuki recognized the eyes immediately, they were so much like Soichiro's, everything about them was the same, down to every detail. And their color, it was identical to her own eye color, leaving no room of doubt about her being the lost sibling.

"Get her some towels." The calm anger was back in her tone, forcing everyone present to scurry away, leaving her alone with Ragyo and Soichiro's other child.

"Who are you?" Ryuuko questioned, her tone not losing its edge, despite how cold she was feeling.

"Satsuki Kiryuuin, I'm your older sister."

"Huuuuh?" What kinda bullshit was that?

"Here." Satsuki handed her the birth certificate, letting her read it over and over until she registered that was not family-less. Someone out there was looking for her, wanting to return her to a family she was robbed from at a very early age.

"How…?"

"It's a long story," By then the four women were back, each one holding a towel, ready to hand them to the authoritarian woman that commanded everyone around. Satsuki took the towels and tried to dry Ryuuko off, trying to get as much of the water off of her. Finally, she tossed the used towels, wrapping the dry ones around her once she deemed her dry enough. "But for now, lets get you out of here." With an arm around Ryuuko's shoulders, Satsuki picked up the soaking wet bag and headed towards her car. She helped the still bundled up Ryuuko in, fastening her seatbelt and tossing the bag in the trunk. Once inside, Satsuki turned on the heater before driving away, going back the same direction she came from.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer** : I own nothing.

 **A/N** : This is a bit delayed because I don't like the hassle of uploading chapters/stories here. I will try sticking to a schedule, as I'm planning on maintaining a somewhat organized schedule when it comes to uploading the new chapters on here. For now, without further ado, enjoy this chapter.

* * *

The drive was somewhat silent, Ryuuko was looking out of the window, not seeing much due to the darkness that engulfed everything, added to that, there weren't any lamp posts on this narrow back road, visibility didn't go anything beyond what the car's headlights could reach to illuminate. Her silent exterior was the exact opposite of what was going inside of her head, her gears were twisting and turning, trying to wrap her thoughts around what this woman, Satsuki, have said earlier. It was impossible to believe. Of course, she is not as dense as to dismiss the presence of a birth mother somewhere, somehow, as she did not simply materialize out of thin air, that much is certain. She's been left on some orphanage's doorstep, with a flimsy paper with her name scribble hastily on it, nothing else. Her roots were unknown, weather a parent has died or didn't want her was never known. She has come to terms with her condition, unlike other kids who lost their parents, she never had that presence. Didn't need it, not any more. She'd be old enough to leave soon, become an adult and live her life as she pleases, without the shackles of that place or anyone holding power over her. Ryuuko had it all planned; she didn't need anyone to make her life any different, it's all up to her and how she handles it. But to have an actual family member after so long? She didn't know what to think of it, or how to feel about it, it won't be unfair to say she still doesn't believe it. Someone is either pranking her, or plotting something against her. Any explanation that wasn't about her being a blood relative to someone was believable enough for her. For starters, her and the strange woman had different names; Matoi was the only name attached to her, it's also what was written on that birth document she disbelievingly read over and over.

"So—" She started, breaking the silence, turning her head the opposite direction to look at Satsuki. "How does this work again? Us being sisters, I mean." Man, it sounded so wrong and foreign to say the word sister, and she's using it to refer to the relation between herself and this stranger. It was crazy alright.

"Ragyo Kiryuuin married Soichiro Kiryuuin, and they had me. Ragyo was unstable, her greed and thirst for power and control took over her senses, hence, finding out she was pregnant once again did not sit right with her." It was nothing short of monstrous, what Ragyo did. Looking at Ryuuko now, Satsuki was filled with a new bout of rage, wishing that her mother was alive so that she would take her out of this world by her own hands. Making up for all the lost time is impossible. A lot was lost, and there is no way to take it back.

"The newborn baby had no chance of surviving Ragyo's schemes. Soichiro became Isshin Matoi, naming the newborn after himself and sending her away, he was killed not long afterwards." Ragyo has taken a lot from her, but it was over now. Satsuki could see her father in her younger sibling, their resemblance was evident, and she finally could rest and start her life with renowned enthusiasm.

Her mission was over.

It was only the start, being in the system, being shuffled from place to another, tossed around as others pleased—It was not easy. Satsuki has seen the place Ryuuko was kept in, surely, hospitality wasn't high up on their list of priorities, not when a lot of unruly children were around. She did not feel comfortable there. Despite the plastered smiles she was greeted with, Satsuki could see what they were about, the way they looked and spoke of her sister…It was vexatious. Nevertheless, it was all over now. Starting this moment, they'd both open a new page and look forward, healing past wounds as they do so.

"Why now? Coming here and taking me… Why not earlier?" _Be grateful someone came in the first place, and don't forget that you will be sent back soon afterwards, suffer no delusions_. The voice in her head reprimanded, mocking her as it did so.

"I didn't know where you are or where to look. Father only told me about you before he was killed. I didn't even know your name until few days ago."

"You were looking for me?" Could she truly believe this?

"Every day for the past ten years." If only Soichiro was here to meet her— To meet the child he sacrificed his life for, despite having had a rough life, she was here, alive, breathing, and doing well. It pained her that her father couldn't witness any of it, and that Ryuuko would not get to meet and experience having a real parent, to love her and take are of her. Yet, there was no point dwelling on the past, Soichiro has passed down this legacy, one last attempt of saving the lost abandoned child, and Satsuki did just that. Albeit a little late, but she made it there nonetheless.

 _Don't get used to this_. The voice was back, ringing loudly in Ryuuko's head, the silence that lingered between the two occupants of the car inviting it.

 _Go away._

 _You know you can't stay here, this car could be your ride to another hell._

 _Shut up!_

 _Getting your hopes up once again? Or could it be—You believe what she is telling you?_

 _…_

 _Do it. You can still make out of here._

 _What?_

 _Turn the door handle and jump out of this car._

 _You're crazy!_

 _It's dark, you can make it._

 _The car's too fast! I'd break a bone and it won't be much of an escape._

 _It didn't stop you back then._

 _S-Stop it!_

 _You jumped._

 _Don't!_

 _From the second floor window, you broke your leg._

 _I said enough!_

 _Didn't stop you from running._

 _I don't want to talk about this…_

 _You could lie to yourself about this one, just don't come crying to me when you—_

 _What do you want from me?_

 _Don't believe this sister crap._

 _I'm not believing it._

 _No one loves you._

 _I know._

 _No one wants you._

 _Say something new for once, jeez._

 _No one will._

 _Running out of things to say?_

 _Don't you forget that._

 _I won't._

 _Good._

 _Good. Now go away._

The car fell silent once again, now that the voice was finally quiet, having finally listened to her and went back to whatever dark hole it crawled out of. The heater was doing its job warming Ryuuko up, she was no longer shivering under the towel she was wrapped in. That new found warmth and the repetitive sound of raindrops hitting the windshield, she slowly drifted into sleep.

As Satsuki neared the Kiryuuin mansion, she called her trusted butler. Soroi was one of the remaining good things in her life. She has trusted him with almost anything that was occupying her mind for longer than she deemed fit. His calm demeanor and hand crafted tea always put her mind to rest. Allowing her to take a step back and look at things through different angles. She told him about her plan, what she was doing to get closer to where Ryuuko was. Often, when she hit a blank, Soroi was there, offering tea and guidance, reminding her that Rome wasn't built in one day. Not finding a satisfying result doesn't mean that all hope is lost…Those words kept her going, searching and probing until she found what she was looking for.

"Soroi," He picked up after the third ring.

"Yes milady?"

"I have found Ryuuko, I trust her room is ready?"

"Just as you ordered."

"I want a hot bath to be ready, ETA is ten minutes."

"As you wish."

The bad weather meant less traffic, which was unusual in this part of the city. She stopped by few traffic lights before taking a side road, venturing into a more quiet area that would soon lead to the private land she owned. Having detected her car, the gates opened, allowing her to enter the courtyard and kill the engine once she was by the mansion's main door.

"Ryuuko," She didn't want to wake her up. With how small and frail she looked, Satsuki could easily carry her up to her room, put her down on her bed and let her sleep until she is ready to wake up. But She was cold and wet, her leg was cut and needs tending to. It's better to wake her up now, get her sufficiently warmed up and bandaged before letting her sleep the rest of the day.

"Ryuuko, wake up."

She was tired. Her eyes blinked once, twice, thrice, before finally getting a clear vision of the interior of the car and the once strange woman now revealed to be her sister. It was a lot to process, but she'll get there at one point. Her head was pounding, and her nap only seemed to make her more exhausted instead of doing the opposite. Ryuuko groggily left the car, shivering in the cold wind as she quickly moved towards the door, following Satsuki through and allowing herself to be led to wherever it was she's being taken to.

They climbed the stairs and walked along a hallway, stopping at one of the doors. A spacious bedroom was behind the door. A king sized bed was in the middle of one of the walls, a small book shelf not far from it, a lush chair and a matching table sat at one corner, a big rocking chair by one of the windows. Ryuuko has been through so many places and rooms, but nothing ever came close to this. She was mostly used to cramped, small, dark places, this was something completely new.

"This room is huge!"

"It's all yours. We can go shopping later and fill the closet with new clothes. This door here is the bathroom, the tub is already full and ready. Once you're done we'll bandage your leg and you can retire for the night. I'd imagine you're quite exhausted after this long day."

That would be the understatement of the year, Ryuuko thought as she finally settled in the hot tub, letting the hot water both warm her up and relax her tired muscles. She sat against one end after scrubbing herself clean and washing her hair. She finally felt clean after her little adventure in the rainy forest earlier this day. It all felt like a dream, this entire place felt unreal. Hell, the fact that she had a blood relative who came looking for her was nothing short of crazy, under normal circumstances she'd laugh it off and move on. But it was real. She has her own room in a huge ass house and someone is not doing this to prank her or ask for a price in return. It was unfathomable she couldn't help thinking there must be a catch somewhere.

Leaving the tub, she dried herself in a heated fluffy towel, and dressed in the loose pajama that was left on one of the shelves. It was slightly too big for her size, but it wasn't anything a roll of sleeves and leg cuffs didn't solve. Re-entering the room that's supposed to be hers, she flopped down on the big soft bed, her body already feeling like wanting to slip under the covers and sleep until the next day. There was a knocking on the door, she responded with "Come in." seeing Satsuki walking in with a first aid kit.

"Show me your leg."

"It's fine, I washed it earlier, it doesn't hurt."

"Ryuuko, leg, now." Welp, saying it this way, Ryuuko had no choice but to comply, she doubted she'd be asked again. She hissed and cursed as the alcohol swab stung her injury while it cleaned it. Ryuuko was grateful that it was over when Satsuki dressed the now disinfected wound and wrapped it with a bandage.

"There, all done."

"T-Thanks…" Ryuuko felt an annoying blush creeping across her face, only making matters worse.

"Dinner will be brought up shortly, make sure to eat it before going to sleep." A servant was waiting just outside the door, coming in as soon as Satsuki have left. Ryuuko wasn't really that hungry, she mostly nibbled on the food and played with it, moving it around from one end of the place to another, waiting for her appetite to return. Around fifteen minutes later she gave up and set the food aside, climbing under the covers and falling asleep immediately.

Satsuki was in her room, she was planning on a full night of rest, a rarity that occurred only once in a blue moon. She'd be doing it more often now, as she is no longer requiring herself to spend long hours locked in her study, going over scraps of information that only lead to one dead end after the other. Moreover, she no longer needs to spend her spare time mulling over those details. On the contrary, she would now spend her time with her sister, try to make up for the lost time. She has already decided on what to do tomorrow; a day out shopping for Ryuuko. Picking clothes for her, shoes, everything she wants and needs. Satsuki has cleared her schedule, pushing all her meetings and calls for the next day, as she would not be disturbed at all while she's spending time with her sister.

Before she would call it a night, Satsuki would go check on Ryuuko. She opened the door quietly, not wanting to disturb the sleeping girl. She adjusted the blankets around her, making sure she was well tucked in and resting comfortably. Satsuki was mirroring a habit she's been seeing and experiencing as a child. She was repeating everything her father has done, silently thanking him for giving her something to work with here, as Ragyo was as far from being a caring parent as she could possibly be. Satisfied with her work, she leaned down and kissed the top of Ryuuko's head, whispering to herself, more than to anyone else, "Welcome home, little sister."


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer** : No, still not mine.

* * *

Ryuuko woke up with a start, the room was pitch dark, the only source of light coming through the window, the moon shining brightly amidst the deep black sky. It was a complete opposite of how it was earlier, the clouds have mostly faded, allowing for a much clearer night. It was this lighting that allowed her to see her surroundings; she was in a very unfamiliar place, as she could not recognize anything her eyes fell upon. Looking at the clock sitting on the table besides her she saw it was only 1:20 a.m, definitely too early (or late, depends on how one would look at it) for her to be awake, or to be this alert. Her body was used to waking up at all sorts of hours during the night. The ability to get a full night's sleep was taken from her long ago. She cannot recall a time where she could do that. Waking up in the middle of the night was one thing, doing so in a new house—It was one of those things she didn't want to think about. Despite her alertness, she was feeling very groggy, her head pounding heavily, causing a not so good headache.

She reached towards the bedside table, switching on the light that was perched on the polished wood. The lighting made her feel more at ease, as she never liked or felt comfortable in the darkness. With clear visibility of most of the room, Ryuuko could think clearer and plan better.

She laid back down, pulling the blanket tighter around herself, seeking more warmth as she was beginning to shudder uncontrollably. As she hid under the covers, her brain began to clear up, remembering the earlier events that led her to being in this lush room. It was still hard to believe, that she is a member of this very family that she never even thought existed…To be found and taken away from a life that is wearing her out. Oh well, it could all be a fabrication of her mind; that old hag was pissed enough at her earlier. She wouldn't be surprised if this was her sanity slipping away from her as she lost all sense of time and self, being locked up in that miserable room for days or weeks on end.

"Won't be the first time…" She said to herself, trying to gauge whether this was real or not. She reckoned it's the latter; just coming up with the thought that somewhere somehow there was a person looking out for her, a family that might remember that she existed… She usually brushed those thoughts away, as they'd get her nowhere good. After this long, she knows no one is coming for her, if they did, they'd have come earlier. She was still unsure about the woman who picked her up just hours ago. Ryuuko would mostly keep her distance, gauge things out and see how others acted before she tried to make herself visible. For now, and the next few days, she'd be content staying in this room until she knows where she stands with those who inhibited this mansion. Her real sister or not, she wasn't going to let her guard down, even if she didn't sense any malice lingering in the other during their interaction earlier ( when did she develop this sense, she wonders. It never failed her, all her unease she'd feel about others turned out to be true, perhaps she should give this one a chance? ) In any case, she needs to make sure this is actually happening, not a mere fragment her mind came up with to make her cope with her compulsory confinement. It won't last long, those flashes of a different place were fleeting, fooling her into believing in something that wasn't real, disappearing shortly afterwards to mock her and her vain hopes of a different reality. She won't even make it past this door without her consciousness taking her back to that reality.

Braving the cold she was feeling, she ignored the chills that shook her body to the core and peeled the covers away. Her feet touched the floor carefully, the achey feeling extending to all of her limbs, making her wince loudly with every step she took. Turning the knob, Ryuuko braced herself for the change of scenery, preparing to meet the padded dark wall that would suffocate her until she fell into one of those sick, twisted dreams.

The door didn't creek as she pulled it open, nor did the scenery change as she peeked her head outside of the room. She hesitated to leave, as she didn't know which direction to go, the hallway's too dark to look inviting. The room was a safe haven amidst this darkness and strangeness. She kept the door open and headed left, her hand touching the wall both for guidance and for support, it was much colder out here. She shivered violently as she thought of going back, she didn't want to go back. The room was good, but it wasn't real, she knows that once she backtracks she'll be back where she thought she escaped from, even if it was all in her head. An illusion or not, she took solace in it. The hallway was endless, she realized, vaguely aware of the tears running down her face. She was lost, she didn't want to move any further, and she didn't want to go back.

"No freaking way I'm going back." She said to no one in particular.

There was no end in sight, it was pointless, this walking. She could smell the rusted metal lock secured in place, preventing her attempts to escape or get out.

 _It was dark._

 _Too dark._

 _The crackling sound was loud, a monstrous roar that always lingered nearby, threatening to break the door and consume her._

 _She wanted to get out._

 _Can't breathe._

 _Monsters are coming._

 _Too dark._

 _Can't see…_

 _Can't breathe…_

She sat down, her back against the cold wall, curling into herself in a tight ball. Amidst all the confusion and terror she was feeling, a sole source of faux comfort came to her, the earlier encounter, real or not, was somewhat calming. Azur gaze was amorous as it regarded her, the voice she was regarded with was anything but threatening, she never tried touching her, keeping a good distance and not making her feel…jeopardized. The woman, very much like the room she left just now, was yet another fragment of her imagination. The telltale blue eyes casting a familiarity that made her presence seem plausible. But she won't give in to this fantasy; for her mind to work on creating such a fictional figure, and to think of it in those times she could barely breathe…She must be slipping further into insanity. Yet, despite her fully knowing that none of this is real, despite the gripping cold fear she felt, and the somewhat calming presence she has experienced (imagined?) earlier, she found herself giving in to it, giving this fiction a dimension of reality by accepting it as it is. Mysterious or not, she found herself wanting that same presence ( it did save her, no? as she is right now, she couldn't see the miserable cell she'd usually be trapped in, that presence did shift her reality somehow, it extricated her ) She wanted it, she needs to feel the presence with her again.

"Sa…tsuki…" She called out, to herself more than anything. The dark empty blackness echoing her voice, prompting her to close her mouth and keep any noise to a minimum.

* * *

Satsuki wasn't sleeping. She had given up on trying to fall asleep when an entire hour have passed with her not getting anywhere. She didn't force it or push herself; instead, she quietly slipped out of bed and sat on the armchair besides one of the walls, picking up a book and opening it to where she has stopped last time. Insomnia wasn't a stranger to her, she's used to overthinking and driving herself to this point. There is always something on the back of her mind that would keep her busy and occupied. Distracting herself during the day would only push it back, never actually get rid of it. It would return with vengeance at night, stealing sleep from her eyes and throwing her mind into overdrive.

There was no reason for it to happen now. One of the main things that have always gnawed at her has been taken care of. Ryuuko was only one door away from her, no longer is she occupied with unearthing faint traces, collecting scraps and hoping to get somewhere with them. No, this has been taken care of now. Of all nights, Satsuki should be sleeping right now, because her endless work has payed off. She can catch a rest whenever she pleases. Still, she didn't argue with herself nor push the matter. She'd be content sitting here reading, until her eyelids would feel heavy and then she'd be able to catch some shut eye.

The house was as silent as usual, with only the continuous ticking of the clock keeping her company. The sound echoed over and over, creating some sort of a rhythm that accompanied her reading pace. She gave up on reading once she finished an entire chapter without paying much attention to it, her eyes going over the words silently, her brain not registering them as it was elsewhere, going into overdrive as she went over the events of earlier. As she gave up on getting any reading done, she debated heading to the small pantry and making herself a fresh cup of herbal tea that would have a calming and relaxing effect, and hopefully, make her fall asleep. She could also use the opportunity to check in on Ryuuko, make sure she is doing okay. She's been out in the rain and cold for quiet some time, and Satsuki would keep a sharp ear on any cough or sneeze that might result from such an endeavor. Of course, she hoped none of that would happen, and she'd get to spend more quality time with her newly found sister.

Satsuki is quite the formidable figure. She is the CEO of an international brand, managing several branches on her own, striking fear in the hearts of both those who oppose her and support her. Her word is law, and she is not afraid to walk the extra mile and show others what she's made of. She admits that part of this reputation comes from Ragyo, perhaps this is one of the few good things the woman has achieved during her reign. REVOCS was the company that monopolized the market, taking over all the smaller companies and buying enough shares of the major ones. Satsuki has been by her wretched mother's side since she was young. Ragyo wanted to pass everything to her, thus, her training began early on. As she stands now, Satsuki ruled with an iron fist, never getting swayed or influenced. Once she has sights set on something, she would make it happen.

She would somewhat argue that another one of Ragyo's accidental good deeds was bringing Ryuuko to this world; not that she would consider what her younger sister has been though as anything remotely good, but she was given a younger sibling she could love and care for. Since she learned of Ragyo's big dark secret, something moved from deep within her. A strange feeling would tug on her whenever she thought of the nameless, faceless child, knowing that she was somewhere in the world. That feeling only grew as she grew older, and in recent years, she was almost consumed by it. She was obsessed with her search, looking through every nook and cranny, trying in vain to prove that it was real and not a fairy tale told by Soichiro to ward of her loneliness.

She was used to the quietness of the night. Everyone would be fast asleep during those hours, work would cease to be of any significance, and her thoughts would be the loudest that they'd ever be. She had no reason to worry or overthink now, she kept telling herself, persuading herself that the herbal tea would be ideal. After all, she has an entire day to spend with Ryuuko in the morning, and all the days after that. So really, whatever it was that kept nagging at her, it made no sense, and she is better off quelling it and burying it where it won't be able to bother her again.

Replacing the book back on the table, with the bookmark attached the end of the chapter she doesn't recall, she decided to make true to her word; get that tea and go back to sleep.

The whimpering made her pause midway between the table and the door. It was late, the house was still and quiet, her ears easily picking any sound that's out of place. If she was less rational, she'd say she's imagining things, hearing things that aren't there. But she knows better than that. Ryuuko must've woken up for one reason or another, the new environment confusing her as she isn't quiet used to it yet. The whimpering didn't stop, and Satsuki found herself hurrying to the door, opening it and heading towards the small voice.

"Sa…tsuki…"

Hearing her name called weakly, she quickly approached the huddled figure, Ryuuko was curled up in a tight ball, shoulders shaking as she tried to hide from what was threatening her.

"I'm right here." She was hesitant about touching her, fearing that her touch would be more negative than positive. Nevertheless, she cannot leave the younger girl like this, she could at least steer her back to her room.

"You're…here?"

Ryuuko wasn't expecting a response, after all, imaginary figures rarely responded, they just lingered, never moving or taking action to prove that they were anything more than an illusion.

"I'm sitting next to you, to your left side." Satsuki was careful with her responses, she was aiming to calm the other girl down, not set her off and make things worse.

Ryuuko lifted her face up, turning it to the left and seeing the woman she met only hours ago. Her mind still unable to tell if this all real or part of a longer dream, in either case, she took comfort in it. Not rejecting it, she interacted with the figure in hopes of finding a clear answer to the confusion she was feeling.

"You're real." It was a statement, as if there was a cloud of doubt about her presence. She blinked few times, noticing the lack of distortion in the figure, reasoning that it is not a mere image her mind have created, but rather, a real person breathing and speaking next to her. Satsuki, on her end, didn't know how to act. She is not a parent, and the example she could follow was anything but what she was aiming for. Her memories of Soichiro were brief, fleeting moments that would escape her the more she tried to focus on them. She could at least try; she didn't miss the tears running down the younger one's face, even though she wanted to pull her close to reassure her that she was indeed very real, she didn't want to screw this up.

"I am. Here, take my hand and see for yourself." She extended her hand, not too close to Ryuuko, giving her enough room to decide whether she wanted to take the hand or remain rooted in her spot. She did the former, Ryuuko tentatively reached her smaller hand, holding into Satsuki's.

"Come on, up you go." Slowly, Satsuki stood up and helped Ryuuko to her feet, not failing to notice the heat coming from the shivering girl's hand.

"Ryuuko, I'm going to reach my hand and touch your forehead." She wasn't asking, only letting the girl know what she was planning on doing.

Her touch was brief, but it was enough to let her know what she needs to know. Ryuuko was burning up, the fever was probably what woke her up and made her so delirious. Satsuki carefully led them back to Ryuuko's room, hand in hand, closing the door and returning the sick girl back to bed. With the bedside light still on, Satsuki slipped into the adjacent bathroom, returning with a cold wet towel which she placed on Ryuuko's burning forehead. She slipped into bed next to Ryuuko, wiping her eyes and reassuring her that she was okay. Ryuuko shifted and turned around, trying to find a comfortable spot, she eventually settled on resting her head on Satsuki's shoulder, and that's how she fell asleep a while later. Satsuki remained awake, her hand not leaving Ryuuko's back, still rubbing slow circles that soothed and relaxed her. The previously cold towel was long discarded, as Satsuki couldn't, wouldn't, move from her position to replace it. For now, she'll let Ryuuko sleep and sweat this fever out. She will not go anywhere until that fever was gone. She drifted to sleep at one point, her hand not leaving the smaller girl's back, engulfing her in a somewhat loose embrace.

Satsuki stirred awake at one point, as if it was possible, Ryuuko felt more hot than she was earlier, she was whimpering and shivering in her sleep as the fever wracked her body. A quick glance at the clock revealed it was well into the morning; eight o'clock. Not relying on any alarm to wake her up, Satsuki was accustomed to waking up at the same time every day, and this morning is no exception. She slowly moved herself out of bed, resting Ryuuko's head on the pillow in place of her shoulder. She was considering taking her to the doctor, but she reasoned that she better wait this out and keep an eye on any additional symptoms or changes that might occur. Satsuki called for Rei, the trusted secretary was at Satsuki's office door as instructed, without a second's delay. Entering the spacious office, Satsuki arranged her plans for the day.

"Ryuuko is sick, she's running a high fever as a result to her being out in the cold and rain for a while. I will not be going to HQ today, I'll do what work that needs to be done from here, but—I'd rather take care of Ryuuko instead of that. I trust that you can run things smoothly during my absence?"

"Of course, Lady Satsuki."

"One more thing, if she doesn't get any better, we will call in the family doctor to come and check on her."

"If I may, my lady, the best remedy for a fever is to cool the body off. There is a trick we could try that should be able to regulate the body temperature and keep the fever under control." Rei was not only a capable secretary, but she was also quite knowledgable in many different things.

"I'm listening."

"It's a simple treatment, and its drug free. You'll only need few things and they're all readily available. I suggest starting as soon as miss Ryuuko is awake." Satsuki would keep an open mind about this; part of her wanted to take Ryuuko to the hospital as soon as she could, the other part, the more rational one, told her that a fever was a fever. The best solution is to wait it out. Hence, Rei's suggestion was not met with refusal, as Satsuki was willing to try anything that would speed up the recovery of her little sister.

Satsuki returned to Ryuuko's room after checking on some emails and answering an urgent call. When she returned, nearly two hours have passed, and by now Ryuuko was stirring awake, feeling stupefied and shivery. Satsuki brushed the matted hair away from her burning forehead, noting that Ryuuko was still too hot for the touch. Nothing good would come from a fever that's slowly cooking her, Rei's treatment would have to be tried, pronto.

"How are you feeling?" She asked, breaking the silence in the room.

"'m cold." Ryuuko shivered, pulling the blanket over herself in an attempt to warm up.

"Your bath is almost ready, it should help a little."

"But I'm too cold." A whine. Ryuuko was already freezing, the thought of taking her clothes off and being in tub of water made her shiver more.

"It's a warm bath, you will be warm, don't worry."

"But—"

"Come on, off to the bathroom you go."

"Nooo."

"You want me to pick you up?" She was serious, Ryuuko was underweight, and Satsuki can pick her up easily and take her where she wants her. Ryuuko sensed from Satsuki's tone that she wasn't joking. She finally allowed the blanket to be pulled away and she stepped into the cold floor, shivering throughout the whole process.

Satsuki helped her shed her sweaty pajama off and slid her in the warm tub; it was surprisingly very warm, and Ryuuko found herself enjoying the steamy water on her skin. She relaxed, allowing the water to warm her up which made her more alert.

"You're not going to work today?" She didn't know what time it was, but with the sun out she figured it's the usual time for people to be at work or something.

"No, you're more important than going to work." Satsuki said, running a soft washcloth over Ryuuko's shoulders and arms.

"It that really okay? What did your boss say?" People always complained about the long hours and no time off, she hoped Satsuki was not risking much by sitting this day here with her.

"I am the boss, Ryuuko. I can go days without going to the company's HQ."

"Y-You are? But you're not that old?" Did she miss something?

"Our mother owned and ran REVOCS, a worldwide empire. With her death, everything has become mine, including the business title."

"For real? Thats…Wow." She almost couldn't grasp it. She has heard of the name before, it was one of those names everyone heard about because it was everywhere. What's more, she is somehow a blood relative to this family, the current CEO actually being her sister. It was too much to think about, it was all too sudden.

"That's why you needn't worry about anything, I will be here for as long as I need to. I could always work from my study when an urgent matter comes up." And really, for now, taking care of Ryuuko and helping her settle in took priority. Work can wait.

As the steam began to fade, Satsuki decided it was time to get Ryuuko out of the warm tub. She must be warm and dry, risking the water getting colder would be of no help to them. She dried her off quickly and sufficiently, putting a new pajama on her and leading her back to bed. Ryuuko noticed that the bedding was different, someone have removed the sheets and blanket, replacing them with new ones. As she settled under the covers there was a knock on the door, then Satsuki's secretary walked in with a bowel of water and ice cubes. Ryuuko eyed the bowl suspiciously, hoping that she wouldn't have to touch the freezing thing sitting not too far from her. Rei placed two pairs of socks on table next to the bowl, taking the thinner pair, she dunked it in the freezing water, after few seconds she pulled them out and wrung them carefully.

"You gotta be kidding! I'm not putting those on, Satsuki look they're literally ice cold!" Why are they conspiring against her like this? The warm nice bath was good, why do things have to end up like this?

"Miss Ryuuko, you will barely feel the cold if you let me do it quickly." The secretary said, it didn't make Ryuuko feel any better, but she sat still and allowed the cold (they were REALLY cold) socks to be put on her. Rei took the other pair of socks, they were thick and woolen, and put them on top of the cold ones. Ryuuko was back under the covers, and surprisingly, she wasn't feeling that much cold as she thought she would.

Ryuuko fell back asleep, Satsuki watched over her most of the time, bringing her laptop to Ryuuko's room and working there. Ryuuko woke up near noon, feeling better than she did in the morning, or at least, that's how it occurred to her when she thought about it.

"Are you hungry?" Satsuki asked, noting the receding red cheeks that worried her the night before.

"No."

"I'll have Soroi bring you some tea, it should make you feel better." Ryuuko didn't argue, since she was feeling thirsty. Probably because of all the sweating she's been doing. She was feeling out of place, unable to decipher her situation and act accordingly. As any normal person, she had her share of sickness. It was often ignored, leaving her to battle what ailed her alone. During the worse bouts an ambulance would be called, strangers with hidden faces and creepy masks would take her away in a strange car, she'd wake up in a cold white place with more frightening strangers. It was a horrible feeling, she couldn't get used to it no matter how many times it occurred. This time, things weren't the same, she noticed. Her surroundings were the same as the previous day, the three now familiar faces came and went, each taking a turn in watching over her until she felt better. This time…There was no cold room, no white masks and no faces looking at her coldly and touching her against her will.

"Ryuuko?"

"Mhm?" Crap, she was too spaced out to hear what Satsuki was saying.

"I will be in my study making some important phone calls. Soroi will be with you during my absence." Where were you just now? She wondered, not failing to notice the look in her sister's eyes.

"O-Okay, yeah, sure." Maybe the creepy people will come later?

As soon as Satsuki left the room her butler walked in, holding a tray of floral china tea pot and a matching tea set. Sitting up straight, Ryuuko accepted the steaming beverage, her nose detecting a familiar citrusy scent. The tea was warm and delicious, she couldn't place a particular taste to it, since she wasn't a tea expert, but the scent and taste of lemon was evident enough to make her happy. Satsuki returned to the room after about three cups. By then, Ryuuko was feeling full, the tea have had energized her somewhat and she was more alert than she did earlier.

"Are you hungry?"

"No."

Satsuki wasn't going to push it, loss of appetite often accompanied a fever. She would leave it for now, she will have Ryuuko try to eat something in the evening, as she cannot survive two full days with no food; it would only hinder her recovery. Even then, she would only stick to bland food, nothing that might upset Ryuuko's stomach and make her feel any worse.

"I'll try eating later, see if I'm feeling up to it." She was drowsy, the book Satsuki lent her was only making her eyes droop, she was soon back to sleep.

When Ryuuko woke up next, it was dark outside. She was feeling much better, her feet felt dry, the shivering gone, and she was almost back to normal. The room was empty, not Satsuki nor her laptop were in the room. Now that she was feeling much better, Ryuuko headed to the bathroom and took a quick hot shower, washing off the sweat and traces of sickness that still lingered. Draping a towel on her wet hair, she changed and made her way outside the room. Her earlier walking through the same hallway was a distant memory, and to be honest, she doesn't recall much about it. It wasn't as dark as that time, with the lights on she could easily move about and look for Satsuki properly.

Satsuki was the one who found Ryuuko, despite the latter's intentions. She didn't know the layout of the mansion, hence she didn't stand a chance at finding Satsuki's whereabouts. The older sister was finishing up left over work, she has left Ryuuko sleeping in her room and didn't want to disturb her. Instead, she finished the rest of her work in her study. Time tends to fly by when one is busy, and by the time she was done the clock was already pointing at eight o'clock. Folding the laptop shut, Satsuki left the study, planning on checking on Ryuuko before heading downstairs. To her surprise, Ryuuko was up and about, hair wet with a towel draped over it, her face looking better than it did in the past twenty hours.

"You're up. How are you feeling now?" She asked while approaching the smaller girl.

"Much better. I think the fever is gone now."

"I think so too, you almost feel normal." Satsuki's hand was on her forehead, which felt much cooler than it did previously. Well, looks like Rei's unconventional remedy did actually work. Satsuki wasn't going to complain, on the contrary, she is grateful that things turned out the way they did. Ryuuko's face and voice were much better now, the rest of this night will be spent lightly, nothing too overexerting. A light dinner and a night in bed, if Ryuuko was better in the morning, they would go out shopping and getting her all kinds of things that she'd be needing.

* * *

 **A\N:** Rei knows some really (handy) weird shit. Just sayin'.  
Also, on a side note, I will be sticking to a regular posting schedule as I have a number of chapters written. Regular updates would happen every Friday, I will stick to this frequency until something comes up and I'd have to make changes. But for now, expect a new chapter every Friday (or Thursday/Saturday depending on your time zone).


	5. Chapter 5

The next day Ryuuko felt truly back to normal; her sleep was patchy, but it wasn't anything new to her. On the contrary, it was the norm for several years now. Truth be told, the longest stretches of sleep she got were those of the past day or two. Being sick and attacked by a fever—Ryuuko spent most of the day sleeping the sickness off. Now that she thinks about it, she has gotten enough sleep to last her a day or two without getting a wink. Thus, instead of forcing sleep, she remained laying down in bed, looking out of the window. The scenery was unusual, to be surrounded by quiet, the starry sky clearly visible through the open blinds. Despite disliking the darkness, she kept the night light off, as the moon and stars shown brighter with all lights off. Their glow coming in through the open blinds, illuminating the room in silver rays that brightened up most parts of the room. The sky was cloudless, displaying a giant full moon with thousands little stars surrounding it, painting the navy sky with countless diamond that sparkled in the night. It was a scene she enjoyed watching, she concluded. It was only her second night here, but she was already taking a liking to the scenes outside of her window. Even if no sleep came her way, it was still relaxing and serene, laying down and staring out of the window at the quiet picture right outside.

She couldn't sleep, even with the soft bed, she couldn't relax enough to drift to sleep. Now that she was back to normal, her mind was going in all directions, trying to make sense of and understand what has transpired in the past two days. Everything has happened very fast, she barely managed to keep up with all that's been going on. Not thinking of the crazy story she was told about, as that would be a problem of another time, she focused on the entirety of her current situation. This was unlike anything she has experienced before. None of the others were this…hospitable. They'd be at first, when coming to pick her up, and perhaps the next day or two if they felt like it. But once she was fully 'theirs' things would change instantly. She'd be pushed around, she'd be threatened, and things would usually escalate from there until she'd snap and rebel against them. Spending hours to days out on her own, refusing to set a foot back in the hell hole she find herself trapped in. The police would get involved, either returning her to the 'family' or back to the institution that was even worse than those people. It was a never ending cycle. Ryuuko hated adults, especially those who pretended to want to take care of her, those were actually the biggest lying assholes.

As she lay in semi-darkness, she found it hard to shake off those images that kept her on edge whenever she was taken to a new place. She never ever had a saying in any of it, she usually was getting dragged around as everyone pleased, her opinion never mattered.

 _'Welcome home, Ryuuko.'_

 _Fake smiles._

 _Never lasted for long._

 _Everything would change in a short amount of time._

 _Masks would crack, revealing their real faces._

 _It was always like this._

 _'You will do exactly as we say.'_

 _How would she just…_

 _'Understood?'_

 _She followed all the instructions but…_

 _It was an accident._

 _She didn't mean it._

 _Things just happened sometimes._

 _'What did I say earlier?'_

 _The earlier smiles were now baleful grins, revealing the true intentions of her captors._

 _She hated it._

 _Hated them._

 _It was too dark_

 _Too small._

 _Back 'home'._

 _She's been bad, no one wants her any more._

 _This is why no one wanted her._

 _Not even the people who brought her to this world._

 _She's a bad person._

 _Doesn't deserve a family._

 _Deserve to be punished._

 _How long has she been in that small room?_

 _Days?_

 _Weeks?_

 _Months?_

 _She just wants to get out._

 _There were shadows in the darkness._

 _Closing in on her._

 _Threatening her._

 _She'd do anything…_

 _Wanting to hurt her._

 _Just please get her out of there._

She sat up in bed, switching on the small light on the bedside table, faint light illuminating the room. It was big, not dark. Unlike that other room she was often locked in. Her breathing was fast and labored, as if she'd been running for miles. She got out of bed and went to the window, sliding it open and letting the cool night breeze in. The chill air making her breathing slower, somewhat lessening the tension she felt gripping at her limbs. She stood there, looking out into the clear sky, numerous stars littered it and made a beautiful picture that would grab her attention for some time.

She still was unsure about Satsuki; after all this time a real blood family came for her? It was still not something she'd get accustomed to so quickly. She was used to being a nobody, no one cares if she lives or dies, she was more trouble than she is worth. That much was made very clear to her from early on. Sure, it's been around three days since she came here, and so far everyone has been nice to her, but she couldn't let her guard down.

"It's always the same," She muttered, her own voice sounding too loud in the still and quiet room. Sometimes, they'd wait for her to relax and get comfortable before they start. Been there done that, she won't be caught in the same trap more times than necessary.

"I'm not the same old fool I was before."

She's been playing her part well, maybe these people are different, even though she hardly believed it, her sleeplessness is enough indication of that. But not everything is colored in black; there was her sudden sickness—Having anyone there while she recovered was unusual. Surprisingly, she got better rather quickly, as Satsuki, Hououmaru, and Soroi kept a close watch on her. It was different, it felt…nice. Even though that was the case so far, Ryuuko couldn't let go of her plans. She has decided long ago that she won't sit and accept anything anyone tried with her; with those 'families', should anyone try to get a hold of her, she'd run at the nearest chance, never looking back.

Her bag lay unpacked in the closet, ready to be picked up at any moment she decided to flee out of this place. With the window open and the cool breeze coming in, Ryuuko returned to the neglected bed and laid down again, this time she managed to drift to sleep with the help of the cold and the small light kept on right next to her.

* * *

Satsuki was in her room, usually, she'd be in her office working, as she did not like to idle around doing nothing in particular. Her time used to be consumed with working and finding leads that would take her to a sister she didn't know whether existed or not. Now that said sister was real and staying under the same roof, Satsuki found herself relaxing for the first time in a long time. Thus, she has moderated her working hours, cutting them down drastically in order to spend more time with the only family she has left. Ryuuko was no longer an image haunting her dreams, and now she could take action and try to make up for the lost time. Not that she'd be able to—Ryuuko has gone through a lot, most of it was not mentioned in the flimsy folder she received when she found her. Looking at that folder felt horrible, her sister's entire life was summarized in few pages. Most of it were records; school records, medical records, foster homes… It was all too cold and impersonal. As if the young girl was reduced to a mere number, a single figure that no one knew what to do with.

Satsuki has only gone through the folder once, it was enough to tell her what she needs to know. She kept it locked in one of the drawers in her office, wondering why she is even keeping it instead of tossing it into the fire and letting it rot there. Alas, she would not be dwelling on that now, having confirmed that Ryuuko is indeed over her sickness, Satsuki has planned a day of shopping tomorrow. Besides getting Ryuuko all the things she'd need, Satsuki would take advantage of the opportunity to spend more uninterrupted time with her little sister. Whatever talks they'd be having, it would get her to know the younger girl better. She'd be able to go from there, work with anything she gets and see where things would go from that point on.

She wasn't aiming for an early start, despite knowing that she will be up by eight, as usual. She would not be in a hurry, now would she disrupt Ryuuko's sleep, as she was still keeping an eye on any lingering symptoms of her illness. Despite it being nearly two days since then, and Ryuuko seeming fully back into health. No matter what, Satsuki couldn't convince herself of that, it was more like—her life mission now, carrying out Soichiro's will. What terrible parenting Ragyo met out, Soichiro did the opposite of. He was the nurturing parent, he was the parent spending time with Satsuki, talking to her and just…Being a father to her. She cherished all her memories of him, locking them deep inside of her and never forgetting them. Of all people, he trusted her with that secret that's been eating at him for years. As warm and loving as he was, it wasn't easy for him to send his infant into the unknown, but he at least saved her life from his crazed wife who was intent on murdering a defenseless newborn.

During her childhood and early adolescence, Satsuki always wondered about growing up with a little sister. It was what kept her leveled, it was what gave her warmth when she felt bitter coldness towards her cruel mother, her hate only growing day after day, making her vow that she will get a full confession out of Ragyo as she obliterated her. Every time she thought of the baby she never got to meet, her hate and contempt grew, her resolve strengthened at the crime that's been committed. Soichiro knew that Ragyo was onto him; she must've suspected that he knew about the infant and was planing on killing him. In a desperate attempt to not let this secret die with him, he told everything to Satsuki, giving her the burden he was shouldering alone for so long.

Satsuki remembers how she felt that day; shock, horror, disbelief—It was unimaginable, it sounded like a plot found in a book or a movie, not in reality, HER reality. But then again, her father would not lie to her, he wouldn't come up with such a story for his own enjoyment, this is something only Ragyo did, never Soichiro. Satsuki took few days to herself, going over what she was told and coming to terms with it. Nothing was the same since; on every occasion, she would think of how it would be to grow up with a little sister, it was a thought that haunted her ever since she knew of the other child.

She won't say it's all in the past now. Of course, she can only move forwards now, both her and Ryuuko, but the past won't be easy to shake off. If she thinks her emotions would still drag her back, it would be much worse for Ryuuko. She has lived her entire life being moved around; orphanage to orphanage, foster home to foster home—There was be no telling what happened to her in those places, and Satsuki wasn't as dense as to believe that life was nothing but rainbows and butterflies to her little sister.

She knows it isn't over; finding Ryuuko is only the beginning. There is a lot to go over, the transition won't be easy even when everything seemed to go smoothly. Ryuuko doesn't fully trust her yet. She doesn't blame her, she's been let down by everyone she's met, why would Satsuki be any different? She was torn between wanting to try, and closing herself off, putting on a cold front and acting unfazed. Satsuki saw the little cracks during Ryuuko's illness, her panic at whatever was disturbing her, her attempt at self comfort that was betrayed when she called for Satsuki. Even then, she seemed unsure that Satsuki was even real, perhaps it was a figure her mind came up with in an attempt to cope.

'How deep do your wounds run?' She wondered, hating all the possible and logical answers that came to her mind.

Not all is lost, Ryuuko is still young, they can get over this. It will take time and a lot of effort, and Satsuki is going to stick by her side until the very end. She hadn't looked under every rock in the country looking for her sister to stop halfway. No, Kiryuuin Satsuki doesn't half do things, she would either go all the way, or not do it at all. In this case, her choice is clear, it's been clear since she was ten years old.

 _It was few months after Soichiro told her everything; the snow was falling heavily, Christmas lights already out decorating the streets. It was not that different in the Kiryuuin mansion, the lights and decorations were always something very extravagant. Usually, Satsuki would be out in the courtyard, accompanying her father and butler, watching everything being set up with the usual juvenile excitement. On that Christmas however, Satsuki didn't show up in the courtyard even after the workers began working and testing everything. She was looking out of her window at the courtyard beneath, in her mind's eye, she would see herself standing at the usual spot, with a difference this time. Just next to her, nearly hidden by the shadows, would be another smaller girl, she'd have no face, just a smaller figure standing next to Satsuki and enjoying the spectacle before them. Satsuki didn't want to be dragged into this sort of thinking, as she knows nothing good would come out of it, just as she was sitting in her room hiding from a thought she didn't want to entertain. There was a knock on her door._

 _"Come in." Her voice was even, not betraying how she felt._

 _"Satsuki, preparations are underway, won't you come down and watch?" It was Soichiro, he noticed her not at her usual spot watching everything with wide, excited eyes._

 _"Not really, I'd rather stay here tonight."_

 _"Is everything okay?" How could anything be okay?_

 _"Yes, father. I'm just not feeling up to much today. I'll just stay in my room and read."_

 _"Satsuki," He was next to her, one of his hands patting her head affectionately. "If anything is wrong you know you can tell me."_

 _"I know." Now she understood the look in his eyes she caught sometimes. She used to wonder about it, but not anymore. Now she was bearing the same look, and her distrust of her mother growing only bigger and bigger. Satsuki wanted to confront her, to yell at her and demand that she brings her sister back. However, that would be of no use to anyone, herself of all people. For now she will do nothing, she will put on an act and be the perfect daughter for Ragyo, and once she's older, she'll take matters into her own hands and look for the child that's been tossed away like an unwanted extra baggage._

 _"The men will be out working for a couple more hours, you can still catch them if you change your mind."_

 _She nodded, her gaze not shifting from the window, standing close to the man she trusted the most._

 _"I'll send Soroi with some tea, that should lift up your mood." He said as he made his way to the door._

 _"Thank you, father."_

Yes, she was thankful to him, if it wasn't for her father, she would have never known about Ryuuko, and would not be having her sister with her under the same roof. It was still too early to predict anything, but whatever was coming, she'd handle it. For now, she will have to go to sleep and prepare for the day she has planned for both of them in the morning.

* * *

A/N: Yeah this is a transitional chapter, shedding light into the sisters' thoughts during the night. Next chapter will have more events and revelations, stay tuned.


	6. Chapter 6

The next day harbored nearly clear skies and cool gust of wind that gave the morning air a crisp chill that was balanced out by the warm sun rays. It was a beautiful day, definitely a good one for what Satsuki has planned for the two of them. It won't be an outing just for the sake of it, even when she was fully planning on over-indulging her still sleeping sister. She had made a mental list of where they were going and what items to get. But of course, should Ryuuko want to go to a specific place or get a specific item, Satsuki would not object. She has been planning for this for a couple of days, but Ryuuko's sudden illness ( not really so sudden, as it was expected after her being out in the storm for a while ) thus it was pushed back for around two days until she was back in full health. As of last night, Ryuuko's temperature was back to normal, and she seemed to be back in full health.

Satsuki took her time getting ready, it was still early and Ryuuko won't be up for some time. She opted for a long hot shower, enjoying the feeling of hot water running down her back and easing all of her sore muscles. She tried not to think while she was under the steamy torrent; as she has done plenty of that the night before, and the night before it, and all the previous nights in the past years. For now she will just focus on the moment, and plan for the future. Speaking of which, she reminded herself that she needs to start looking for a good school to enroll Ryuuko in. Since it was the middle of the semester, transferring her now would be very disruptive, especially that she's planning to enroll her in a private academy that offers the best education in the country, among other things. She will be looking into all potential schools, and securing a seat for her sister as soon as the current semester ended. For now, they'll both have to endure the rundown old school that Ryuuko's been attending for the past few months.

She sat on her bed after her shower, a white robe wrapping around her moist body as she relaxed over the covers. It was not nine yet, her long shower did little to pass the time. If Satsuki was the type, she would have remained down and perhaps took a quick nap. But she wasn't, never was. Instead, she was going through her checklist again, Rei had called the shop the day before, making sure two assistants slash personal shoppers would be at Satsuki's disposal for as long as she demanded. She didn't stick with a specific time plan, keeping most of everything as flexible as possible. She would match Ryuuko's pace, not pushing her beyond what she felt comfortable with. If they'd require more than just one day to get everything done, then so be it.

She got up on her feet, picking an outfit to wear and going about getting ready. Satsuki has always dressed for the occasion, and for this day, she opted for something simple yet elegant, her accompanying accessories adding a colorful touch to the neutral colored shirt she has decided on. Her long hair was thoroughly dried and styled in its usual perfection, a light layer of make up was applied to her face, finalizing her preparations. Leaving her room, Satsuki headed to the office that often had her working at odd hours. She would be sitting there working until her little sister woke up. Because, again, she wasn't going to disrupt Ryuuko's sleep or push her to do anything she isn't comfortable doing yet, this day and its activities included.

Ryuuko stirred awake slowly, her eyes blinking until she registered that she was awake, and that it was actually morning. She was still not used to the quiet, and the comfort. Usually, she'd wake up to an array of annoying sounds, if not someone forcing her to wake up and to stop being so 'lazy', it would not be seven yet, most of the time. She enjoyed the silence and being allowed to get enough rest, now that she has finally managed to put herself to sleep, she felt she could get up and face this day. She was told the previous evening at dinner that today was going to be busy. Satsuki was going to take her out shopping, she didn't know how to feel about this, so she nodded silently and went along with it.

Pushing the covers away, she padded towards the bathroom, starting the shower and hopping in after shedding her pajamas off. It was a quick shower, waking her up and making her feel refreshed all at once. Satsuki hadn't given her a set time, so she didn't know whether to hurry up or slow down, she opted for something in between. After her shower she wrapped a fluffy warm towel around herself, making her way to her unpacked bag and picking her clothes for the day. She didn't have much in the bag anyways, it only gave her a small variety of items to pick from. Observing that it was mostly clear outside, she decided on jeans and a t-shirt, she picked her favorite red small scarf and wrapped it around her neck, making her outfit complete. She zipped the bag shut and returned it to the closet. Now it was a matter of finding Satsuki and letting her know she was ready to go.

As she wondered through the hallways, Ryuuko thought, once again, of her situation. It was not a matter of believing or not believing the story she asked Satsuki to re-tell time after time. Yeah—It was still unbelievable, even though it was the truth. Satsuki is her sister, Satsuki's parents are her parents as well, only the father because the mother is apparently a nutcase that terrorized everyone, her own family included. It is not surprising that she'd deny an entire pregnancy and dispose of a child she did not want to bear. It made sense, kinda sorta. Still, Ryuuko was still working on accepting these new changes, while they were not bad, and a far cry from where she was not a week earlier, she still couldn't quite place her feelings. For now, she will wing it and go with the flow, perhaps she'd somehow manage to feel more at ease or something. Being here isn't so bad, she'd try to enjoy herself until Satsuki gets fed up and sends her back to the place she took her from. She's not going to hold her breath over it, it will happen in maybe two or three weeks at best. But for now, Ryuuko is going to play along and see where this will go.

She knocked on Satsuki's door twice, hearing no answer she gathered that she wasn't in her room. Ryuuko was still not used to the layout of this huge mansion, only being familiar with the wing that housed their bedrooms, and thankfully, her's was only one door away from Satsuki's. She paced the hall again, wondering where to find the older girl, and to her luck, she spotted one of the maids cleaning the windows.

"Where is Satsuki?" She approached carefully, not sure how to address the middle aged woman.

"Lady Satsuki is in her office."

"Where is that?" Damn, she'd need a map to navigate through this place.

"Keep walking down the hallway until you pass the stairs, take a left and it will be the third door to the right."

Definitely needs a map. Ryuuko thanked the woman and walked towards the direction she was given, hoping that she was walking the right path and not screwing up somehow. She walked until she reached the stairs and passed that, taking the first left turn, counting the doors to her right and stopping at the third one. She knocked carefully, not sure if she was at the right door or not.

"Come in." Satsuki's voice came from beyond the polished wood.

She pushed the handle and opened the door, seeing her sister at the desk that was sitting by the window.

"Good morning, Ryuuko." Satsuki greeted the smaller girl who was still standing by the door. She closed her laptop shut and went to the hesitant girl.

" 'morning…" Ryuuko managed to mumble, carefully watching the taller figure that was coming towards her.

"Ready to start this day?" Satsuki maintained a soft tone, very unlike her usual tone that most people heard of her. Ryuuko wasn't most people, she was the most important of them all, there is a lot that Satsuki would only reveal and show to Ryuuko only, and no one else.

"Y-Yeah."

Satsuki walked them both downstairs, and from there towards the main entrance where they stepped into the bright courtyard. A sleek black limousine was already waiting for them, the engine running and the driver opening the limo's door for them, and closing it after they both were seated.

Ryuuko sat on the soft leather seat, she was looking out of the window, watching the buildings pass by as the car slid smoothly down the road. It was her first time out since she was brought to the Kiryuuin mansion, not that she was being kept there against her will, but her sickness has prevented her from doing anything else beside laying down in bed and sleeping. This ride offered her a sense of comfort, she was dreading that she would never step a foot outside again, being kept in for one reason or another. She could recall those times, being kept in a dreadful basement for someones' entertainment, only going to school every now and then to keep social services away in case she missed a lot of school at once.

Satsuki watched her sister carefully, Ryuuko's hesitation and tentativeness did not go unnoticed by her, but she wasn't going to push the matter. Whatever was going through her mind, Ryuuko seemed to be processing it. It was a lot; suddenly having blood family and being brought home after what she's been used to…Satsuki was not expecting an immediate transition, what was happening was only normal. She would keep a safe distance, but will always be close by, Ryuuko needs to have her space but she has to know that her sister is always around, ready to drop what's in her hands and rush to her side should she need it. When Satsuki decided to look for her sister, she was ready to give up a lot in order to make sure her sister is safe and sound with her.

"A penny for your thoughts." She used a light tone.

"Hm? Oh it's nothing just… Looking outside, been a while." Ryuuko added, it was still bothering her.

"True, your illness have prevented you from doing anything for a good two or three days. But worry not, you'll still go to school after the weekend, I won't keep you from your friends either, I just don't want you staying out until late."

Good, Ryuuko thought, nothing about her not seeing anyone or going out. Even though she didn't have any friends, so to speak. But she'd still have her mobility, she can go out and do whatever she wants, maybe run away if she needs to.

"How late is your late?" She highly doubted it was the same late as hers.

"We will talk about it when the time comes."

By now the limo has stopped in front of a high end Italian restaurant, the driver was once again by their side, opening the door for them.

"Where are we?" It wasn't any shopping place.

"We need to eat before we go on our shopping."

The place was fancy! Ryuuko doesn't recall ever being at such a place. It was quiet, with tables placed at a good distance from one another, giving the customers enough privacy and space. They were seated at a small table near the window. After going through the menu, Ryuuko settled on an almond croissant and a glass of orange juice, as she decided that she wasn't that hungry for most of the items listed. On her end, Satsuki settled for the usual tea and a quinoa salad that contained a lot more seeds and green stuff than Ryuuko felt comfortable looking at.

They ate mostly in silence, small conversation was still a foreign ground for both of them as of yet. Satsuki had so much going through her head she didn't want to overwhelm Ryuuko so soon, instead, she decided to let the younger girl start any conversation she felt comfortable with. Satsuki was mainly concerned with Ryuuko's wellbeing, making sure she is well and not in any sort of trouble. The escape attempt didn't go unnoticed by her; she saw the fence, and she saw Ryuuko's injuries. For her to risk that just to get away—Satsuki didn't want to bring up the topic, not when Ryuuko was in a good mood. But she knew that Ryuuko wouldn't have run away if she was cared for and unharmed in that place. Emphasis on the latter point. It made Satsuki's blood boil every time she recalled it. Looking at Ryuuko, she's so young and innocent, how could anyone want to cause her harm? It was silly, Satsuki told herself, of course she'd be harmed, her age and innocence only made her that much more vulnerable, an easy target for any sicko who wanted to get away with committing something grave.

"Is there anything specific you want to get?" She has to get out of that thinking. Today is for her and Ryuuko to enjoy themselves, not to dwell on what was and garnering so much negative emotions, not on this day at least.

"Not really?" She has all that she needs, she still doesn't see why Satsuki wanted to get her anything extra.

"If you see anything you might like or want, let me know." It won't be easy, she was used to dispossession, this tactic would only overwhelm her and would lead to the opposite of what she is aiming for.

"Hmmm." Ryuuko still didn't follow.

They were back in the car shortly afterwards, this time, the drive was shorter and they stopped at the entrance of a big shopping complex. Ryuuko recognized the name, it was like a department store for really high end brands, she wondered why they were stopping here first.

As soon as they stepped inside the building, Satsuki was greeted by name, "Welcome, Lady Kiryuuin!" Two staff members accompanied them up the escalators and into an oversized dressing room. There was a sofa and a coffee table, a fitting room to the right that had a thick curtain separating it from the rest of the room. No sooner than they stepped in, the two women procured measuring tools and were all over Ryuuko, measuring her from head to toe. Once they finished writing all the numbers down, they excused themselves and left the two sisters in the room together.

"What was all that about?" The younger of the two wondered, plopping down on the sofa next to her sister. She thought they were going shopping?

"Patience, Ryuuko. They got all your measurements and will be back soon with everything that would fit you. It will be up to us to decide what is good to go and what's to go back."

"Whatever happened to regular shopping?" Satsuki didn't really have to go that far, it's only clothes.

"Regular shopping? Such a thing is not fit for any sister of mine. Ryuuko, from now on you will only get the best of what's in the world, nothing less than that is going to come your way. You will get the best clothes, you will eat the best food, you will get into the best school, and so on. I will make sure that nothing wrong will ever come your way, whatever it is, it will have to go through me first."

"T-Thanks…But I'm still not used to the idea that you're my s-s-s-s-sister, it's not something I can easily get into so suddenly…I m-mean it's n-n-nice to know you exist but…"

"Ryuuko, it's okay. You don't have to push it. It's very new to both of us, even though I knew of your existence a long time ago, but finding you wasn't that easy. My only regret is that I should have acted earlier, I should have found you faster, but for now, I will delight in the fact that you're here. I will never let you go back to that life. From now on we can only look forward, not backward."

"How did you know about me? I was never told I had a family anywhere. An old man brought me to the orphanage after my mother died in childbirth, this is how it was until you showed up and told me otherwise."

"That old man was our father, Soichiro Kiryuuin. He saved you from a slow death, sentenced by Ragyo. He had to disguise himself as someone else, get you a birth certificate that would prove your existence, and put you in someone else's care. He told me all of this when I was seven years old. From that day on, I vowed to look for you and bring you home."

"Why did she want to kill me?" Ryuuko had a hard time associating this figure with a mother. She never had one, as far as she knows.

"Ragyo was insane and corrupt with power. Her insanity led her to doing a lot of things that no one could understand. I was going to humiliate her, take everything she hold dear from her like she took you away from me, like she took father away…"

Their conversation was interrupted by the assistants coming with armfuls of clothes. They will have to visit this topic later. For now, they need to do what they came here for. Thus, the next few hours would feature Satsuki sitting on the same sofa sipping tea while Ryuuko tried everything the assistants brought in. She has tried a different variety of skirts, shirts, dresses and pants. Just when she thought it was over, more piles of shoes, underwear, and sleepwear were brought in for her to try. By the end, Ryuuko was tired, she has tried on more than a hundred pieces, and she couldn't do anymore. Most of the stuff looked good on her, and Satsuki took them all. Bags upon bags were wrapped up, and sent to the car waiting outside. Ryuuko dragged her feet behind Satsuki, as they went back to the car to be driven to another restaurant for a late lunch. Due to being tired and hungry, Ryuuko did eat more than she did at breakfast. They took their time there, as Satsuki was done with the bulk of the shopping for now. What is left is anything that Ryuuko might like as they walked through the different store displays.

But before that, they needed to make one more stop. This time is was a store that sold electronics. Around an hour later, they left with a brand new phone and laptop for Ryuuko, even though she insisted she doesn't need the latter. But Satsuki was having none of it. It was getting to near evening, and the two of them were walking leisurely outside of the mall, looking through the windows of the smaller shops outside. Ryuuko lingered on one of the windows, her eyes trained on the items displayed. Satsuki followed her gaze, locating the item that has gotten Ryuuko's attention.

"You like that one?"

"It's cute."

"Let's go." Taking the smaller hand in hers, Satsuki pushed the the small shop's door open. Upon entering, she immediately located the item of interest, making the quick purchase in less than five minutes. The shop quiet, hosting only two other customers, who were looking at the different displays. The dark honey colored stuffed rabbit sat in a plastic bag, carried in Ryuuko's hand as they left the store after their stop.

By now, Ryuuko was exhausted, having been out the entire day. Satsuki called the driver the meet them at the end of the street, noticing that Ryuuko was now yawning, her movement slowing down considerably. She didn't last the car ride, as not five minutes later, they younger sibling was fast asleep, the stuffed rabbit out of its bag and held in her hands.


	7. Chapter 7

The next day saw both sister waking up at the same time. Due to her early night, Ryuuko was up early and ready to start her day. Yesterday, the shopping bags were loaded in another car and were taken to the mansion while her and Satsuki kept shopping for the rest of the day. Because of that, she now could see everything that was bought nestled inside of the oversized closet. She opened said closet, retrieving a towel and a new change of clothes, deciding on a shower before attempting to start her day. As she passed the bed she noticed the stuffed rabbit Satsuki has gotten her before they concluded their shopping trip. She admits that it looked cute, and wasn't too bad of a bed companion. Not that she actually wanted it, but Satsuki has already gotten it for her and she didn't want to be ungrateful and toss it away.

She showered quickly, and was soon back in the too big closet sorting through the gazillion different clothing article her sister insisted they buy. Seriously, did she expect Ryuuko to wear everything that was bought? It was a lot of clothes. She could do with a bunch of different outfits, but this? She can safely say that Satsuki went overboard. Ryuuko recalled the previous day, how she kept going through different items while Satsuki commented on them, all while sipping the ever present tea cup the staff of the store kept bringing into the changing room. Ryuuko didn't object because she didn't know how she was supposed to act; she felt out of place, everything was foreign to her and she just rolled with it, not understanding much of what was happening until they were well on their out of the store. By that point, Ryuuko was too exhausted to even think properly. But she would admit that their outing was fun. Perhaps, it was the most fun she'd ever had in recent memory. She doesn't remember anyone taking her out and paying her this much attention; despite being tired, Ryuuko never felt uneasy or pressured. Which was how she usually felt with those who bossed her around and wanted her to exactly like they commanded. No, Satsuki was as far from that as she could possibly get, and to be frank, Ryuuko would not mind a repeat of that.

She shook her head from side to side, as if trying to dispel the blush that crept to her face, redirecting her thoughts elsewhere. She focused on picking her outfit, settling on a floral summer dress and sandals, dropping a jacket over her shoulders in case it got cold later on. Today is going to be another light day, Satsuki was already at her office in REVOCS's HQ, but she requested that Ryuuko is brought to her as soon as she was up and fed. Ryuuko wondered what was that about, but figured that she'd know in time; maybe Satsuki was having seconds thoughts and wanted to send her back. Spending the day together had made her realize the grave mistake she had made, that she is better off without the extra baggage that would probably do her more harm than good.

With that thought, Ryuuko felt down for some reason, even when she should not be feeling this way. She knew it was going to happen, either that or she'd run away, there was no third option at the outcome of all of this. Ryuuko knew this the moment she sat in Satsuki's car being driven away from the place that housed her for the past several years. Oh well, better deal with this sooner than later, at least did didn't unpack her bag so that's a hassle that's been avoided. She sat alone in the dinning room, not really touching her food, her appetite gone. She only managed few sips of her orange juice before heading back upstairs, taking the small bag and heading outside towards the waiting car. Maybe she should spare them the encounter and let the driver take her to the orphanage directly. But she didn't know how to get there on her own, directions are not something she knows, and she fell asleep in Satsuki's car before they made it out of the narrow road.

* * *

The main HQ of REVOCS was one of the highest skyscrapers in the capital. The building was as disquieting as the reputation of its original founder, which also reflected on the current heir of the entire empire that's been founded so many years ago. Satsuki found herself going back to those old times; a time before she was born, before her parents met and got married. She wondered if during those old times, before being blinded by dominion, if Ragyo was a different person, maybe even be called normal. It was wishful thinking, as she could not imagine Ragyo being anything but the monster that she was. A version she has never seen would not stand against the malevolent pernicious presence that dominated most of Satsuki's life. Ragyo was seeking continuation; she wanted an heir to inherit her empire, hence, Satsuki came into existence. From an early age, her schedule was full of various lessons and classes, never mind school. By the time she was five, Satsuki was able to attend meetings with her mother, taking in as much as she could, watching and learning how her mother controlled everyone and made them bid to her doing. Satsuki was fascinated, and was eager to learn. She was so naive back them, as brief as it was, she idolized her mother during those instances. The woman was cold as a statue, Satsuki never regarded the woman as anything but that from the woman. She learned quickly, she was careful not to commit any mistakes. She had to be the perfect daughter that Ragyo wanted, to be prepared to take over the empire and take it to different heights after her mother.

The fond memories she harbored were those relating to her father and butler; it was with them that Satsuki could experience any semblance of childhood or normalcy. Away from lessons, away from meetings, and away from Ragyo and her domineering presence. With her father, it was the complete opposite. Park visits, library visits, sneaking in candies and ice cream and keeping it a secret between them— Soichiro made sure to spend as much time with her as he could, teaching her about the world and its beauty, away from his wife and her devilish schemes. It roused the question of how did a man like him ever married that woman. Since he did, then certainly Ragyo from way back then was nothing like the Ragyo Satsuki have known. It must be it— Thus, Satsuki's presence gave the man something to do, and try and shield her from as much as he could knowing what Ragyo had in store for her. It was futile, between the two, Ragyo was the stronger one. She pulled Satsuki to her side more often than Soichiro did, rendering the time between father and daughter small and brief. Despite it's brevity, Satsuki cherished those memories of her father; her apparent closeness with Ragyo was nothing more than that, an appearance. Unlike Soichiro, as he was truly close to her and they hardly kept anything from one another. He was very paternal, he enjoyed being a father and had a lot of love to shower Satsuki with, making up for the depravity that his wife provided.

Satsuki has always been very perceptive, and she noticed the ever smiling face cracking at times. She didn't implore him, but it upset her to see her father changing in a way she couldn't understand or fully comprehend. It was the beginning of the end for Satsuki, as life as she knew was going to change from that moment on. She tried being close to Soichiro, reminding him that she was still there with him, that he needn't feel the way he was feeling. Ragyo hasn't won her over, she was still on his side despite the long meetings and endless lessons. Ragyo's disappearance was another big event; as the woman never went away for more than few days. Any longer than that, she'd take Satsuki with her, taking advantage of the opportunity to teach her first hand how business is done. She was marking her calendar every day, Ragyo returned three months and two weeks later, acting as if she hasn't dropped off the face of the earth for the past months. Before she could wrap her head around Ragyo's sudden disappearance, Soichiro took off for weeks. She remembers the way she missed him; he left without a word, not even a good-bye and a promise of return. She was left confused, trying to distract herself with school and other activities, wondering what was off with her father that made him run off not long after his wife have returned.

Satsuki didn't get to celebrate his return. Few days later, he came to her room, telling her that he had an important matter to discuss. He delivered the news that changed her life forever. From that moment on, her existence was haunted by a presence she couldn't feel but longed for. She was left bewildered, trying to understand how could her mother do what she has done. What abominable action she has made, she wanted to confront her, to call her out on what she has done. But before that, fate had one more trick up its sleeve. For, Soichiro was taken from her in an unfortunate accident, an accident staged by Ragyo and passed off as a sad occurrence. She spent years mourning the loss of her father and baby sister, cherishing the memories she had of him, and lamenting the lack of anything to remember the faceless infant by.

Satsuki turned from the window that made up one of the walls in her spacious office. There was no point looking into the past, a spot she did not want to visit often now that has a purpose to her life. Her only regret is that she wished Soichiro was still alive, to have meet the child he risked his life to save. Ragyo must have not been able to locate the infant, as she could not leave things half done (another trait that Satsuki inherited from her mother), but seeing as Ryuuko was nowhere near Ragyo meant that the father have succeeded in protecting his second daughter, leaving the task of finding her to his eldest. Satsuki paced the room, moving around as she tried to refocus her thoughts elsewhere, like the meeting she concluded not an hour ago. Yes, that was a good place to start from, to keep her mind from drifting back to the past. She was busy going over the plans that were approved and processed, putting everything in its right place and winning another deal, raising REVOCS's shares in the process.

There was a knock on her door, Satsuki recognized it and got up to open the door, getting Ryuuko herself and ushering her in the spacious office. She didn't fail to notice the downcast look in Ryuuko's eyes, nor the frown she was trying to conceal. She wondered of something was bothering the younger girl.

"Something the matter?" She led them to the leather couch and sat next to the smaller one.

"No." She was withdrawn, unlike how chatty and bubbly she was the previous day.

"Did you sleep well?"

"Yes." She still wouldn't meet her eyes, instead, she was looking at the pattern on the carpet underneath her sandaled feet.

"Ryuuko, something is obviously up, tell me."

"It's nothing."

"Look at me." Big mistake, looking into Satsuki's sharp eyes made it much harder for her to conceal what she was feeling, and she found herself speaking against her own will.

"It's really nothing! I'm ready to go back, you didn't have to call me here to tell me this, you're probably too busy for this slight diversion and I…"

"Ryuuko." Satsuki's seething tone made her stop in her tracks, swallowing the rest of her sentence immediately.

"The only place you're 'going back to' is our house. I don't ever want to hear you talking about going back to that wretched place. No one is going to take you back there, as you are with your family now."

"But…"

"You're still going to argue about this?"

"N-No—"

"Good. Remember this: you're my sister, I'm never letting you go anywhere you don't like or want. You're here with me now, and this is how things are going to be from now on." She softened her tone, reasoning that Ryuuko would need time to get used to the idea that she's not going to be abandoned once again. It was a lot to work through, the changes won't happen overnight. Nonetheless, she will be reminding her of this every day until she feels secure enough to let go of that line of thought.

"Then why did you bring me here, if not to take me back?"

"Hm? Is this what started this whole thing? I called you here to see you, and take you out for lunch once my meeting is over."

"Eh?"

"Yes, Ryuuko, this was the reason I called you here. And really, this is what's it going to be like, nothing about me sending you away or not wanting you around."

"I didn't know this."

"Now you know. Tell me, where would you want to go? I have two hours to spare, we can drive out of town if you want."

"I dunno, you pick a place." She hasn't been in the city before, her knowledge of these things was limited.

"Very well then, I think I know the right place."

Ryuuko did indeed enjoy the place Satsuki took her to. She looked through the menu, finally settled on something that Satsuki deemed proper food ( what was wrong with french fries? ) they eased into a light conversation as the food was being prepared and brought to their table.

"You have school tomorrow."

"It's Monday already?"

"You've missed most of last week, that's enough vacation time."

"I don't wanna go, school is boring."

"Too bad for you, boring or not, it's important, and you're not going to miss more days than necessary."

"But I don't want to wake up early and be stuck there for an entire day." More whining.

"Millions of kids attend school every day all over the world, you're not suffering on your own. Besides, early bed time would ensure that you wake up refreshed and ready for the day ahead."

"Early bedtime? You mean earlier than the usual?"

"Yes."

"!"

"You don't have to be so shocked. It's only an hour earlier than your usual bedtime."

"That's too early!"

"It isn't, I'm sure you'll be ready for bed after your long day at school."

"This is so not going to be fun."

"Cheer up, little sister, it's not the end of the world. Now finish up you food and I'll get you an ice cream on our way back."

"I'm full, can't eat anymore."

Satsuki took notice of this; Ryuuko did eat, but her portions were very small. She'd declare that she cannot eat anymore after few bites, at best. Still, Satsuki didn't push the matter, Ryuuko still needed time to get used to all of these new changes. Satsuki still got her the ice cream on their way back to REVOCS. The rest of the day was spent in Satsuki's office, she went back to work in her spacious office. Ryuuko didn't go back to the estate, instead, Satsuki had her sit on the couch and watch a movie on the television she never used. Having Ryuuko here, with her, made the next few hours more enjoyable. Besides, Satsuki felt better having the young girl here with her. As having Ryuuko at home by herself would only give the little sister more negative thoughts. Satsuki hated how her sudden instruction have given Ryuuko the idea that she was no longer wanted around. If anything, Satsuki was aiming to protect her little sister from that line of thought, not be the cause of it. She decided that she would spend more time with Ryuuko. She was only a child who'd been let down a lot. Now it is up to Satsuki to work on fixing this, to give her sister the life she deserved to have. A life full of love and reassurance. She was no fool, however. She knows this won't be easy, as trauma is not that easy to get over. Nevertheless, she is Satsuki Kiryuuin, she will never give up or back out on something she is dead set on achieving.

* * *

A/N: Next chapter is going to be...Heavy.


	8. Chapter 8

**The first time it happened, Satsuki wasn't paying much attention**.

Ryuuko was still transitioning into her new life, a lot of what was going on was new to her, turbulences are only a normal part of the process. That's why Satsuki didn't think of investigating the matter, nor worry too much about it despite keeping a very keen eye on her little sister. Since she has recently gotten custody, Satsuki was busy with a lot of things besides finalizing paper work; Ryuuko was still attending her old school while Satsuki worked on placing her in one of the more prestigious schools in the area. That, too, was occupying her, as she wanted to get done with these matters quickly. But since they were currently in the middle of the semester, transferring schools might take a little longer than she would have preferred. Satsuki would not let it bug her for long, as she did work on those matters behind the scenes. Mostly during the day, after dropping Ryuuko off at school and heading back to REVOCS HQ.

 **Satsuki should have payed more attention**.

Ryuuko wasn't a bad kid, despite her habit of getting into fights almost on a daily basis. The other kids were assholes, as Ryuuko so eloquently put it, short and simple. They'd come at her, taunt her and push her buttons. She wasn't going to sit around and do nothing, hence, her getting into physical fights at least twice a week after school hours. She'd be cut and bruised, but she'd wear her battle scars with pride, talking about how she could easily beat boys twice her size with ease. Satsuki despised this school; someone should be doing something about the constant bullying of older and bigger students of the younger and smaller ones. If circumstances were different, her Ryuuko would not be grinning ear to ear while telling her of the days's brawl. Staff and administration need to do their job properly. She has sent Hououmaru Rei to speak to them about the matter, but it wasn't effective.

"How did your visit go?" She asked the secretary, it was nearing the end of the school day, Ryuuko would soon be driven back to the mansion where Satsuki would join her not long after.

"Futile, I'm afraid. The school is not responsible for what occurs outside of its walls after school hours. They cannot, and will not take responsibility for something that is outside of their grounds."

And that was that, as uncooperative and lazy excuse as one would sound. The entire school board was useless, try as she might, it kept tugging at her, she could not trust those people with the wellbeing of her sister. Satsuki was bothered by it, more so, she was bothered by how the others targeted her sister specifically. It made her blood boil, she wanted to get Ryuuko out of there, homeschooling was a very appealing idea.

 **Satsuki was looking at all the wrong places**.

Ryuuko wasn't a big fan of school. She hated having an early bed time, she hated having to wake up early, exams and homework were her worst enemies. She'd waste a lot of time whining and complaining than actually doing the work, which could be done in hour or two if the younger girl would sit still and work seriously. Instead, it would be a long few hours process before she'd be done with everything she is assigned. Ryuuko also had a habit of 'not remembering' if she had homework or not, which would prompt Satsuki to go over everything with her to make sure nothing is left behind, something that Ryuuko didn't appreciate much since her older sister always managed to somehow find a lot of things to make her work on. With both her domineering sister and diligent secretary, Ryuuko had little leeway and it was seen that homework was done in a timely manner. Ryuuko still complained.

"That's a lot of homework! I barely have time to do anything before it's time for bed." She didn't like having to go to bed so early. Soon it would be time for dinner, then her bath, and finally bed time. Yet, despite her complaining, it was this routine that calmed her down and gave her a sense of security.

 **If only Satsuki caught the subtle hints earlier**.

Ryuuko wasn't sleeping well. She'd be awakened several times throughout the night,

"They're just bad dreams. I get those from time to time, it's no biggie." She'd say. It was true, not that Satsuki ever doubted her, but she was just entering Ryuuko's room one night to check on her before retiring to bed herself, when she saw Ryuuko tossing and turning, trying in vain to shake the nightmare that had her in its shackles. Satsuki ran her hand down Ryuuko's cheek, gently coaxing her awake, as she didn't want to startle and upset her any further. Ryuuko woke up with a gasp, looking around her and finally registering that she was safe in her own room, with Satsuki sitting next to her.

"You okay there?" Satsuki was concerned.

"Y-Yeah, I'm fine… Just a dream." It sounded as if she was reassuring herself of the fact than anyone else.

This nightmare wasn't an isolated incident, as it would occur a couple of times throughout the week. Sometimes, it would happen more than once per night. There was certainly something on the young girl's mind, tormenting her and stealing her rest away. Another pattern should have been noticed as well; Ryuuko's mood would drop the closer they got to her school, and the opposite would occur on the way back from school. But, worse still, there were those days where she was quiet for the entire ride back from school up until the next morning.

Satsuki would reprimand herself for neglecting this detail, even as it bugged her. Ryuuko wouldn't be fighting with the usual crowd, as she was sans the usual cuts and scabs. Yet she'd remain too quiet. Not speaking at all unless spoken to, and even then, her answers were brief and short. Her homework would be done in complete silence, none of her usual complaining present. The same would be said about her barely touched dinner and silent bed time. Satsuki reasoned that Ryuuko would have her moments of withdrawal, as she was still adjusting to this transition. Thus, she didn't push it, she gave Ryuuko her space while making sure her baby sister knew she was around whenever she needed her.

 **Satsuki did at least know that something was off**.

Even though she was a little too late to come to this realization. In addition to the nightmares, Ryuuko would wake up feeling sick in the morning. Headaches, stomachaches, general unwellness—It was all there. Surprisingly, these symptoms seemed to improve when it was decided that Ryuuko would not be going to school due to those very symptoms. It was an avoidance tactic; Satsuki knew it was not the homework or the bullies, since she made sure Ryuuko stayed on top of the former, and she was good at handling the latter. There was something else, if it wasn't for Ryuuko going the extra mile just to avoid being up early and going to the boring school as she tended to nickname it. Those incidents weren't frequent, but they were somewhat consistent. Satsuki timed them, they'd occur at regular intervals, in between them, things remained as they usually did, with Ryuuko acting like her usual self. Satsuki was bugged by it, to say the very least about it. She tried to brush it off as nothing, kids tend to feel unwell from time to time, it was a lie she could not even convince herself of. As much as she knew how counterproductive it was, she found herself giving in when Ryuuko woke up feeling too unwell to attend school.

 **Few incidents later, Satsuki decided to take matters into her own hands**.

It was one of those mornings, after one of the silent and withdrawn nights. Ryuuko barely touching her food, a habit she has developed lately, and as a result of that, she has dropped few pounds. Alarm bells were ringing in Satsuki's head, and she let the younger girl stay home for as long as she needed, as it was making her feel better and would get her out of her shell. Satsuki knew that something was happening at school.

"Is everything okay at school?" She would keep it casual.

"Yeah, all's good." Satsuki knew it wasn't. She couldn't pin it to the bullies, as Ryuuko was spotless, and she rarely mentioned them anymore.

The nightmares persisted.

Ryuuko was growing more and more quiet, her speech patchy and hesitant at best.

Food wasn't appealing anymore, and she kept dropping more pounds as the days rolled by.

On that particular morning, Satsuki was going to head to the school herself, to see what this was about and demand answers from all that are involved in her sister's education. Ryuuko has been staying at home for the past three days, barely leaving her room during the time, and not speaking to anyone. After her meeting with the principal, Satsuki was going to pull her out of school, as she would not settle for seeing her darling sister withering away while she did nothing.

Satsuki was heading towards the entrance when she heard the commotion upstairs, she hurried back up, her feet taking her towards Ryuuko's room on instinct. She met Rei halfway down the hallway.

"What's going on?" She asked her trusted secretary.

"It's Miss Ryuuko, she threw up again."

"Get the car ready and call the hospital, make sure we're seen as soon as we get there." This makes six vomiting incidents in the past three days, this frequency with little to no food…Satsuki didn't want to see the worst of this before getting medical help. Ryuuko was obviously sick, and she needs to be taken care of as soon as possible.

Ryuuko took a quick shower and got ready, as Satsuki told her that she was taking her to see the doctor about her current bout of illness. Thirty minutes later, the two sisters walked through the hospital's entrance, a receptionist greeting them and leading them towards one of the examining rooms.

The check up was quick and thorough, and soon the sisters were facing the doctor, listening to the final verdict.

"It appears that miss Matoi is underweight, which is my main concern right now. Physically, she is perfectly fine, nothing should be triggering those symptoms. The only other reason they would occur at such an intensity is most likely due to psychological reasons."

"Are you absolutely ruling out the possibility that it is a physical symptom?" What if she was wrong, and Ryuuko needed medical help? She nearly mocked herself, her attempts at avoiding the truth were pathetic.

"Well, I would get a blood sample and double check if it will reassure you."

Surprisingly, at that mention, Ryuuko spoke for the first time in nearly two days. "Blood sample? D-Don't— Satsuki you can't agree to this, I-I'm really scared of needles!" It was not a necessary procedure, Satsuki has gotten the answer she already knew, and the doctor was certain that nothing was off with the growing teen.

"There will be no need for that." Ryuuko didn't need to get more agitated than she already was. This visit has confirmed what Satsuki was suspecting all along, and that was that.

Back home, Satsuki helped Ryuuko in bed, where she fell asleep immediately. One of her arms wrapped around the bunny, Senketsu, as Ryuuko named it the night it was purchased. Satsuki sat next to her, as much as she wanted to go to the school and get all the answers she wanted, she has to remain here. Ryuuko was too weak, she needed to stay with her until she was feeling better, or at least tell her what was going on. Ryuuko's sleep didn't last for long, when she woke up around thirty minutes later Satsuki was still by her side, a hand running up and down her back soothingly. It was the usual amount of sleep Ryuuko managed at once as of late, the younger of them stared out of the window, appreciating that her sister didn't press her to talk. She found herself drifting to the unpleasant memories that ripped at her. Satsuki was correct, school was the main factor in this mess she didn't want to be in. It used to be…okay. She could handle that bullshit and go on about her day, they were infrequent enough to let her push them back of her mind and forget about for a while. Not recently though; soon after she moved in with Satsuki, things escalated at a faster rate; no longer were they timing their sessions, as opposed to the past. Now, they were occurring every week, sometimes more than once for reasons she didn't know. Ryuuko hated how her body was betraying her, how it was failing her. There was no need for the illness that took hold of her, she can and will handle this. She was able to handle it just fine when she was still at the orphanage. But now, after spending time here—Her ability to put up with that crap seem to have waned. Making her physically ill and unable to handle this situation. As soon as she would close her eyes, the contorted angry faces would pop up. Replaying old familiar scenarios over and over, making her shiver and struggle to breathe.

 _"Ryuuko, handing in sloppy homework again? Tsk tsk tsk."_

Satsuki and Rei helped her with the homework, it wasn't sloppy at all.

 _"Be grateful that we're handling this issue here and now, I should send a note to your guardian, letting her know of how unruly you are! You think she'll be happy reading what you've been up to?"_

She liked being with Satsuki, she didn't want to disappoint her. For now, she will endure this until she is able to behave better.

 _"When school is over you are to remain here, we will deal with what you did this afternoon."_

She only had to run in the hallway because class was starting.

 _"You will learn to speak with more respect!"_

She could feel the phantom pain on her body, feeling it as strongly as is did when she was in that room almost every two afternoons after school. Despite being in her own bed, and despite Satsuki being next to her, there was no stopping the pain she could feel as if it was being inflicted on her right this minute. Slowly, the room began to disappear, Satsuki nowhere in sight. In front of her would the woman she hated so much, her eyes not leaving the object in the woman's hand. The mere sight of it sending chills of pain and fear through her body.

What has she done this time?

Skipping school?

Forgotten about a homework?

Her heart was beating fast, her breath catching in her throat, nearly suffocating her.

She doesn't want to be here.

She wants to go home.

She needs to find Satsuki.

"Ryuuko!" It was Satsuki, looking and sounding more frantic than she has ever seen her.

"I'm f-fine." She managed, pushing the bile back down her throat, focusing on the face looking at her instead of that old classroom.

"Listen," Satsuki began, trying to remain composed despite wanting to hit someone. Her angers and frustration mainly directed towards the entire staff at the school Ryuuko won't be attending anymore. "You're not going back to that school; I will pull you out of there first thing tomorrow. You need to tell me what is happening, who is hurting you?" It has got to be it, someone was tormenting her and she was not saying anything about it.

"That's not it, it's just— I don't do that well, my homework is always messy and things like that." She didn't want Satsuki to return her to the orphanage.

"Ryuuko…" Time for plan B, but that will come after she gets through this day.

"In any case, you're not going back. Sloppy homework shouldn't affect you to this extent. For now, I want you to focus on something else." As if the homework was the issue, Ryuuko never turned anything short of complete, organized assignments. Whoever gave her that excuse was using her compliance to their advantage.

"Soroi is going to come up here with some tea, drink it while I make some phone calls and come back, okay?"

Ryuuko nodded, watching as her sister left her side and headed out of the room. The kind old butler coming in immediately after and offering a steaming cup of citrus green tea to the younger girl.

Closing the door to her study, Satsuki dialed a number, it was picked up shortly, barely three rings in.

"Oh, look who's calling." She didn't want to call him of all people.

"I have a job for you." But he was the man to get this done, unfortunately.

"I'm listening."

"I want you to go as an undercover teacher, investigate a certain school and get me anything you can get about systematic bullying. There is a chain of command, the strong feeding off the weak because the weak cannot fend for themselves."

"Are you saying that I have to investigate the teachers?"

"Exactly. They are targeting certain students, I want to know why and HOW they do it. Don't come to me unless you have solid answers."

"You don't play around, do you, Lady Kiryuuin~ Is this about…"

"It's none of your business. Get the job done as soon as possible."

"Aye Aye."

Their conversation ended at that. What was left for Satsuki was going to the school herself the next day, but she will not alert anyone that she is onto them. She'd claim that Ryuuko is sick, and cannot finish the semester. The rest would be up to her contact to sniff out. Knowing him, he'd get her all the information she needs in due time.

It was evening, and despite the sudden changes, Satsuki was not going to disrupt Ryuuko's routine, as doing so would only make things worse on the younger girl. It is exactly what she needs right now to maintain a sense of normalcy. Going about her usual steps that would give her a greater sense of security. She found Ryuuko sitting on the sofa in her own room, face buried in a comic book, the tea cup empty next to her. Satsuki smiled at the sight, it was a sign that things are heading towards a positive direction, and for that she is grateful.

"Phone call over?"

"Yes, now Ryuuko, let's go downstairs. Dinner is ready."

"I'm not hungry."

"You've barely had any food in you in the past three days. At this rate, you'll end up very weak and might end up at the hospital. I know you're not very hungry and the food is going to be light and bland as to not upset your stomach." Satsuki will be damned if she let her darling sister end up at the hospital, not on her watch.

She led them both to the dinning room on the floor below. The lights were kept low and dim, nothing to overstimulate the tired teenager. Ryuuko followed Satsuki silently, figuring that she'll try to nibble on her food and that it would satisfy her sister. She was surprised when she saw that the chairs were arranged differently, instead of their usual places, the two chairs were now facing each other. Ryuuko sat down on her chair and wondered what this was about, since she was not facing the table.

Satsuki occupied the chair in front of her, holding a single bowl of rice and a spoon. She wasn't…

"Now Ryuuko, open up."

"I-I-I can feed myself!" She isn't two, she can absolutely do the task herself without anyone's aid.

"I know you can, but this doesn't stop me from wanting to care for you." At that, Ryuuko allowed the spoon in her mouth, taking a careful mouthful of the salted delicious rice. It was unlike any other rice she has had before, this was softer, with more taste, and it warmed her up.

"What is this? It's not just rice…"

"That's right, this is the Kiryuuin special お粥 (rice gruel) I had it made especially for you."

"T-Thanks."

Satsuki would deem her plan successful, as Ryuuko did eat some of the bowl, around five or six spoonfuls before declaring she couldn't eat anymore.

"I'll go take a bath now, good night, Satsuki."

"Good night, Ryuuko."

But of course, this was not a sufficient good night, not in Satsuki's book at least. An hour later she was back in Ryuuko's room, coming in to tuck her in and make sure all was well, considering everything that's been going on lately.

"Can you…stay?" She was sitting in her bed, sleep escaping her at the thought of closing her eyes and becoming an easy target to the visions that were not letting up on her. Satsuki was always telling herself to be careful, that it would take one wrong touch to make Ryuuko distrust her and not seek her closeness. Protocol be damned, she wasn't going to watch this happen while she does nothing about it. She pulled Ryuuko out of bed, taking them both to the rocking chair that sat by the window, she sat down pulling her sister into her lap, wrapping protective arms around her. She might not be able to make up for what she failed to notice earlier, but she'll do all that she can to keep Ryuuko away from any further harm.

Ryuuko stiffened at first. It would not be too extreme to say that she was close to panic, for someone to charge at her quickly, limbs moving as they did so— She visibly flinched, trying to somehow understand why would Satsuki want to do this to her.

The impact never came.

The arms surrounding her were not being a cause of harm, not in the slightest. On the contrary, they way they felt around her, the way they surrounded her… It made her feel good, made her feel safe. Ryuuko clung to her sister, the extreme closeness they shared dispelling any hesitation away. The strong arms around her offered a lot which she couldn't register, but she would agree that none of those feelings were unpleasant. She tentatively rested her head on Satsuki's shoulder, allowing the tension in her shoulders to let up, releasing the breath she wasn't aware she was holding.

Satsuki remained holding her sister for the longest time; the steady slow rocking lulling the younger one into relaxing. Satsuki didn't speak a word, not wanting the escaping tension in the petit shoulders to return. Ryuuko's initial apprehension didn't go unnoticed by her; she wanted to strike back at all of who contributed to this. Touch was associated with pain, this much was obvious. It will be on her to work on changing this. All in due time, as she did not want to haste things and risk causing more damage than good. For now, she'd be more than content sitting here providing her sister this semblance of security. One of Ryuuko's hands was holding on to her shirt, while her head rested on her shoulder. Even when the smaller body relaxed in the slumber that overtook it, Satsuki made no move to get up. She would remain in this rocking chair, holding and rocking the young girl, providing her the safety that would allow her to sleep and catch up on a much needed rest. It was in this stillness and feeling the smaller frail body in her embrace that Satsuki gave in. Her stoic mask slipping at last, allowing a single tear to reveal how she ached to shield her sister from any further abuse, wondering if she is up to the task of being this girl's protector.

* * *

A/N: Part 2 of this incident is coming up next.


	9. Chapter 9

Unfortunately, the following days were not any better than the ones that have passed. Satsuki would muse that the day she went to the school to pull Ryuuko out had something to do with this stunted improvement. Or rather, Satsuki going anywhere would easily throw Ryuuko in a limbo of emotions that she could barely process, let alone deal with. It was all within reason, Satsuki knew this would happen as a result to what Ryuuko has been going through. Being that vulnerable and susceptible to abuse— Something that should have never happened in the first place. So far, all the adults in Ryuuko's life have failed her. Failed to protect her and keep her safe. Worst still, it was those very adults who hurt her and caused this mistrust and fear. For the first time in her life, Ryuuko wasn't harmed by the adults who were caring for her. Once she was with the Kiryuuin clan, her life took a drastic turn. A better turn, that is. In light of that past, and her now being shielded and protected within the confines of this house…Satsuki wouldn't blame her for being emotionally confused.

After that particular night was spent with Satsuki, the younger sister has gotten somewhat attached to her sister; Satsuki wasn't sure how to perceive it, but she couldn't hide her joy that deep down, Ryuuko trusted her enough to allow such an emotion to take over. At the same time, Satsuki could read the motives behind those actions. Ryuuko was simply…Scared, for the lack of a more precise word. She didn't want to be away from Satsuki, this applied to them being in separate rooms, where they couldn't see each other despite knowing where they are. It was as if, the moment Satsuki was out of sight, Ryuuko would lose her forever. Or worse, she'd be left alone by herself once again. This constant need to be around Satsuki, and having to have Satsuki within eyesight, have made the older sister's plan of tying those loose ends a little challenging. Not only was it prevalent throughout the day, but those feelings seemed to take over with renewed ferocity at night. From that night on, Ryuuko hasn't been able to sleep on her own. She would hold on to Satsuki and never let go, the tight grip only indicating how to terrified she felt. Satsuki didn't downplay her fears, nor talk her out of them. She indulged her. Sitting with her for hours, rocking her on the rocking chair until she was relaxed enough to allow sleep to take hold of her. Laying in her younger sister's bed next to her, holding her during the night, wishing for a peaceful sleep away from nightmares. The drawback was, however, that Ryuuko would sense her sister's absence whenever Satsuki left the bed, and would wake up soon afterwards. Thus, when the elder sister woke up and got out of bed in the morning, her younger sister followed suite almost immediately afterward.

As a result of all of that, Satsuki reasoned that it would be better to leave Ryuuko in the mansion when she would head to the school. There was simply no way that she'd take Ryuuko near that monstrous place again. Even when she doesn't have the full picture yet, she knew enough to make her want to tear the place down. Part of her dreaded knowing the truth. But for now, first things first, she has to take care of some legalities before she can keep Ryuuko with her during the day. As Satsuki predicted, the young teen would not have any of it, she would shake her head, refusing to let Satsuki leave her and go to the school. In her mind, that place was dangerous, and she didn't want her big sister to go there, not by herself, at least.

"Ryuuko, I will only be gone for few hours, Soroi will stay with you until I'm back."

She was met with a head shake, and a frown.

Ryuuko…

"I have to do this today, when I'm done I'll pick you up and we will go somewhere, just the two of us, okay?"

She would not yield.

At the end, Satsuki had no choice but to take Ryuuko with her. She wasn't driving, instead she opted to take the bigger car so that she can reason with her little sister before she leaves the car. She would let the driver stop before they would reach the school and she'd walk to the main building. Rei would have to handle Ryuuko while Satsuki is gone. No matter how difficult it would be, Satsuki wants to get this part over with, and focus on how to solve the bigger issue. It was hardly what she'd call a plan, as so many things would go wrong and she'd be back to square one. Given Ryuuko's recent behavior, her clinginess and everything—She was trusting Satsuki with her wellbeing. She would seek closeness and close contact, tensing up and being on edge once Satsuki was away from her. Under different circumstances, Satsuki would be overjoyed. She still felt good about the way Ryuuko was regarding her, let there be no mistake about that. It's just that, she wished this development would have occurred under different circumstances, not as a result of abuse and emotional trauma. As things were right now, the last thing she wanted was for Ryuuko to be near that school building, but alas, she won't be able to go anywhere without her sister tagging along. Leaving Ryuuko in the mansion in extreme distress sounded worse to her, thus her plan in somehow reaching a middle ground between option A and option B. Perhaps for the first time in her life, Satsuki wasn't sure of something she has planned. At the end, the three of them were in the back seat of the limo as they were driven towards the old school building.

Houmoumaru Rei was busy looking through the map of the area on her laptop. Satsuki has entrusted her with finding a place for them to rest at, or, to let Ryuuko stay at while Satsuki went to the school. Her search have produced a small cozy cafe, the perfect spot for their rest while her mistress did what she had to do. Hououmaru pointed to a spot on the screen, nodding to Satsuki. Instead of the school, the car went towards the direction of the small cafe, parking outside as the three females entered the cozy place. It was a long shot, but Satsuki was hoping that this would be the lesser of the two evils she was faced with. The school was merely ten minutes away by car; if all goes well, she'll be back here in less than the hour she was anticipating. Rei was already at the counter, ordering enough snacks to keep Ryuuko occupied; a variety of cakes and ice cream sundaes were presented to her, and she took her time picking which items are to go to their table, giving her mistress time and privacy.

"I will only be gone for a short while; I will call you on my way back, I could use a cup of tea before we head back home." Satsuki kept her conversation light, trying not to sway against the tearful pools of blue that met her gaze.

"Here, he'll keep your company until I get back." It was a good idea to bring Senketsu along, as Ryuuko did take the favored item and hold it close to her.

"Don't go…"

"I'm not going anywhere I'm not coming back from. I promise you."

"B-But…" She was frantically looking around the unfamiliar place, all those unfamiliar people, Satsuki not being around… "—Lotsa people… S-Satsuki not here…" Ryuuko was mumbling, shifting in her seat, now sitting close to her with Senketsu held in both arms.

"Rei is here. She will keep you safe until I return." With an arm around the small girl, Satsuki pulled her in for a close hug, easing her fears, trying to convince her that no harm was coming her way for the one hour she'd be gone.

"You're coming back?" She didn't want Satsuki to go that school, she didn't want them to hurt her too. Satsuki was good, she doesn't deserve to be hurt, unlike herself, who is rotten to the core, and needs to be taught how to distinguish between right or wrong.

"Always." She promised, wiping the tears on the face she adored so much.

She still doesn't understand.

"Bu… I'll go! You stay here with Rei and I'll tell them I'm leaving their shitty school." Satsuki has been looking out for her all the time, now it's her turn to protect her older sister from those people. Satsuki responded with a soft smile and a ruffle to the younger one's hair, it was quite the adorable scene, Ryuuko being all determined to storm in the school on her own, keeping Satsuki away from whatever it was that's been eating at her from the inside for the past weeks.

'Soon…Soon I will have all the answers I need and take action against EVERYONE who is involved.' The Kiryuuin vowed.

"I appreciate your offer, little sister, but this is a job that only I can do. Enjoy your snack while I get this done and come back." She stood from the chair and walked towards the door they came through only shortly, she didn't look back, not even when she heard Ryuuko calling for her to come back. She will let Hououmaru handle this for now.

"Satsuki! Don't go!"

Mikisugi better bring her the results she's hoping for.

She was sitting on an old cheap leather chair, sitting across from the principle who was visibly nervous at her presence.

"Lady Kiryuuin, how can I help you?"

Controlled anger and an even tone, Satsuki maintained eye contact which only seemed to intimidate him more. Good, if he was onto what's been happening to her Ryuuko and allowing it to happen, he'd be the first one to go on her list. 'Just a little bit more.' She refocused her attention on the man once again, getting distracted now would only trample her plans.

"I'm pulling one of your students out of the school."

"One of our students? Why might that be?"

As if he doesn't know.

"Your heard me the first time."

"Y…Yes, of course. Who is the student?"

"Ryuuko Matoi."

"Matoi?!" She wanted to strangle him.

"Certainly, Matoi has been absent for a while now… A troublemaker always gets noticed when they've not been wreaking havoc in the school as usual."

It took all of Satsuki's training and self discipline to remain composed and not break his trachea with her bare hands.

"She won't be bothering you any longer." She was seething.

"Ah yes, of course. Here is her file, it's all yours. Just sign this document and she's officially out of this school.

"Although I gotta add… How is lady Kiryuuin associated with Matoi? She is a delinquent to put it simply, not one to be around such a refined clan as the Kiryuuin."

" 'To put it simply' ?" She inquired, willing to play along and see if she can get any answers from him.

"She never listens. Always doing what she wants, constantly getting into fights. Her academic performance is terrible, to say the least. Her teachers have been trying to teach her to be responsible, to decipher between right and wrong. But nothing has worked with her. I'm afraid, Lady Kiryuuin, that you have a bad charge who would not amount to anything good. How is she in the presence of such a refined clan as the Kiryuuin?"

"It is a private matter." The only thing keeping her from throwing him out of the window is the fact that by signing those papers, Ryuuko is officially out of this place. If she acts now, the investigation might get hindered and aborted altogether. Her part is done here, the rest is up to Mikisugi, all she has to do is return to her sister and they'd get back to their lives. Right now, Satsuki would return the cafe and make it up to Ryuuko. Give her some much needed attention, and take her mind off of everything.

* * *

It was around a week after Satsuki signed the papers. Ryuuko was improving gradually, now that she was not returning to the school, she was slowly returning to her usual self. Satsuki has arranged for a specialized teacher to come to the Kiryuuin mansion and tutor the young sibling. Being out of school doesn't mean no more education, it only meant that Ryuuko, from now on, was going to be getting homeschooled with the more advanced curriculum of Honnouji Academy. This is to ensure that she'd be able to enroll for the next semester and not face any academic issues or difficulties. The lessons would take an entire day to be finished, their duration lasting the same length as any regular school day, much to the teen's chagrin. Satsuki was also close, she moved most of her work to her office in the mansion, only going to the HQ when she had a meeting or an urgent matter that cannot be handled at home. It enabled her to stay within close vicinity of her sister, as Ryuuko would be making sure that Satsuki was there in the estate every now and then.

Despite the now resolved matter, Ryuuko still feared that Satsuki would send her back to the orphanage. Satsuki has been to her school, she has spoken to the teachers…She must know all about her misdeeds and endeavors now. The young girl would ponder the matter while sitting alone in her room during some afternoons, Senketsu being her only companion. It was one such afternoon, the window being open, her sitting on her bed with Senketsu sitting across from her, leaning on the pillows.

 _Satsuki probably knows everything by now_. The voice would come back, taking advantage of the silence.

 _You know what that means_.

 _Your good act won't last long. You're bound to slip up._

 _What do you think would happen then?_

 _Is she going to take you back there?_

 **Or**

 _She'd use the same treatment that everyone has used in the past?_

 _S-Satsuki is not like that…_ She'd argue weakly.

 _Oh? How can you be so certain? She didn't know anything. You'd think she will treat you the same now that she knows everything?_

 _Well…_

 _Not so confident now, are we?_

 _…_

 _You know what you have to do._

 _Save yourself the trouble._

 _Save yourself from going back to that place._

It went quiet after that, leaving her with the only thought that kept her busy most of the day. Laying in her bed, looking at the unmoving Senketsu, wondering what she should do. She knew what to do. There is no point in dawdling and dragging this any longer. She needs a game plan and carry it out, is all. Satsuki didn't deserve any of this. Even Senketsu— he deserves to have a good life, not to be dragged around by her. Ryuuko remained in her room all day, only leaving it when it was dinner time. She would act as she usually did, sitting down at the dinner table, playing with her food and having few bites. The usual stuff.

She laid in her bed, wide awake. Her eyes on the ticking clock. It was nearing one in the morning, everyone would be fast asleep, making her plan more successful. At the one a.m mark, she rose from her bed. Going to the closet, she took her pajamas off, tossed it at the end of the bed and changed into one of her older outfits. Her old leather bag still lay unpacked at the bottom of the closet. She picked it up and closed the door. She opened the window, before hopping out, she turned back to the room. Her eyes fell on her companion, she bid Senketsu a silent goodbye, and lamented her inability to do the same to her sister. Closing the window behind her, she used the nearby tree to climb down and run towards one of the walls surrounding the mansion. Jumping off the wall wasn't easy, but it was nothing that could stop her or stand in her way. She landed on her feet in a silent thud, immediately running, putting as much distance between her and the mansion that housed nothing but happy memories.

Satsuki stirred awake, her sleep interrupted for one reason or another. It was unusual, as she couldn't recall a particular dream that would have this effect on her. She sat up, her eyes catching the time, almost three in the morning…It was strange indeed. She leaned back against her pillows, pondering this peculiar occurrence. Her thoughts drifted the occupant of the room next to her; things have been rocky in the past days, but the worst is over, for now. Satsuki knew that the upcoming days would be better than the past ones; now that the biggest hurdle has been taken care of, things will gradually change for the two of them. Somehow, this thought amused her, keeping sleep further at bay. She decided to check on the young girl, who is no doubt snuggling to her Senketsu and dreaming of better days to come. As light as she was feeling, Satsuki knew that this desire to check on her sister is what nagged at her subconsciousness, forcing her to wake up for this purpose.

She stood in stunned surprise at the sight of the room. The bed was empty, the pajamas Ryuuko was wearing earlier lay haphazardly at the end of her unmade bed. A cold rush ran through her, gripping at her as she tried to rationalize the situation. A quick check revealed an empty bathroom. Because, what were the chances that Ryuuko woke up and decided to take a shower or a bath in the dead of the night? Satsuki noticed the discarded Senketsu, holding on to the hope that her sister was probably sleep walking somewhere around the mansion. She checked every room and corner in the house, which revealed no sign of the young girl's whereabouts. The main door was locked, yet Ryuuko was nowhere in sight.

"Ryuuko, where did you go?"

She hurried back to Ryuuko's room, heading towards the closet. She knew that opening the door would either reassure her or confirm what she has been avoiding to think about. The closet was unchanged, everything in its place. Not a single piece missing or—

Shock overtook her, for a moment she couldn't think of what to do. Ryuuko's small bag was gone, just as its owner. The main door might be locked, but the window wasn't. She must have used the nearby tree to aid her escape. So many questions came to her mind all at once. Where could she have gone to? Why would she run away in the first place, what could have triggered this reaction? More importantly, was she okay? Satsuki didn't know when Ryuuko had left, it could have been hours for all she knew. Ryuuko didn't know the area very well, she would be wandering around, an easy prey for anyone who dwelled the streets at these hours. Worse, what if she hitched a ride with a stranger? So many scenarios, and not a single one that brought peace to her mind. She needs to find her younger sister, and fast. By now, it was nearly four in the morning, definitely not a time for a young girl to be wandering around on her own, most likely getting herself lost in a city she barely knew. She picked up her phone, she'd call Hououmaru, then the police.

Her only wish is to find her sister unharmed.

Ryuuko walked along the path that led away from Satsuki's place. She didn't look back, pulling her jacket around her, she resumed her quick walking. She didn't know where to go, all she knew was that she couldn't stay with Satsuki any longer. The woman was too kind to her, and she deserved none of this. She didn't want to put Satsuki in the position of seeing her as she truly is. The road was empty, the sound of her footsteps echoing in the dead silence that engulfed the area. Ryuuko knows that once she leaves this high end suburb, she would be in the more busy city. Once she arrives there, she can look at her options and see where to go from there. She didn't know for how long she's been walking, but her legs were beginning to ache. Not that she was going to pay that much attention, as she needs to get to the city as soon as she could. She can rest all she wants later, once she is far from here. She didn't know which direction the city was in, but figured that as long as she followed this path, it was going to take her somewhere.

Satsuki was pacing the room. The sun was rising, painting the landscape with bright purple and orange hues. The two police officers have just left, a recent picture of Ryuuko in their possession. She couldn't settle, as this was hardly enough effort. She was going to drive to the city and look for the missing teen herself. She, alone, would not be able to look everywhere fast enough. For that, she had called her closest friends, her Elite Four, to come over and they'd form a solid plan. When teaming up together, they never failed at any task, and she didn't see why they would now. She got off the phone with them mere forty minutes ago, they will arrive at any moment now. Despite that, she could not realx enough to sit. With every passing moment she wondered if the young girl was okay, and that she is still in the city. She wished to find her, and not lose her forever due to any of the dangers that would befall a lonely young girl being out in the deserted streets on her own. Child abduction and trafficking stories invaded her mind the more she tried to avoid them. Satsuki knew she shouldn't get caught in that line of thinking, as it would get her nowhere and would further distract her from her task.

The situation was a bit complex. As Satsuki had planned on introducing her sister to her friends, but the opportunity never presented itself as they had to deal with more pressing matters. She knows that bringing them here and taking them with finding the young girl— She was asking for a bit too much. For now, she could only rely on pictures, Ryuuko's unique red streak on the left side of her head a telltale sign of her identity. She had only a handful of pictures, as Ryuuko never had her picture taken before. Most of them were candid pictures, taken when the runaway girl wasn't looking at the camera, or while she was engrossed in something, her eyebrows furrowed in concentration. Alas, for now this all she had to offer her Elite Four.

"Tch. She's already causing this much trouble?" Nonon Jakuzure was not impressed. Being the closest one to Satsuki among their group, she knew all about Ryuuko and Satsuki's search for about two years now. She offered to help, looking for the phantom child, but she was turned down. Satsuki wanted the matter to be as discreet as possible, Nonon respected her wishes and didn't meddle in. Thus, even though she came up with one of her snarky remarks, it lacked its usual edge. She knew how dire the situation is, and she'll do what she can to help.

"When did you notice her missing?" Ira Gamagoori was direct and to the point. The incident appealed to his senses, and he was going what he can to find the missing girl.

"Around three in the morning, although she was already gone by then, I'd say an hour or two before." It was nothing short of nightmarish.

"What a troublesome kid, I'll take the roads around here. She could have gotten lost or just wandering around. Leave this area to me."

"Thank you, Sanageyama."

"Then, I'll take the Eastern part of the city; I have some contacts there and will get word out once she is spotted." Nonon declared.

"I'll scout the West side of the city. I have some new recruits that need training. This is a good chance to see what they're really made of."

"I'll run satellite surveillance all around the city, if she's out in the open I will locate her in no time." Inumuta folded his laptop open, and pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. It was his trademark gesture for getting down to business.

With communications set up, and everyone getting their contacts ready, the Four each went their own way. They promised to return with results, as they were all very capable of carrying their tasks, and they shared the sentiment of helping their friend. Satsuki, on her end, was very grateful to have this close circle of loyal friends around her. The five of them have gone through a lot together, and they only grew closer as time went by. She trusts their abilities, and is certain that they'll succeed in locating her missing sister. She will also get a move on. She refused to sit around and wait for someone's call. Thus, she left the mansion as soon as her Elites did, not wasting minute that could mean the difference between finding Ryuuko or remain in the dark about her whereabouts.

When Ryuuko left, she hadn't taken anything that Satsuki has gotten for her, as she wasn't worthy of anything that's been brought for her. She knows that Satsuki wouldn't like this, but she will have to deal with it. Ryuuko was saving her the trouble of finding out about her vileness and having to deal with it at one point. As she left everything behind, she was without any means of telling the time. Her only cue was the changing sky color, as the sun was beginning to rise. The brighter it got, the more tired she grew. She was weary from the walking, as she'd been wandering around for hours now. She was also reminded that she hasn't slept a wink the previous night, which was starting to take a toll on her. Her eyes burnt in exhaustion, her body ached for some sleep that would re-freshen it and make the rest of her journey easier.

Her plans of heading to the city were not going too well, as she had no clue where she was. She was walking in the dead of the night, not knowing which direction to go. She kept walking through deserted roads, she crossed a forest and was now in a a completely foreign place. Oh well, as long as it was a way she could walk through… She yawned, a handing raising to rub one tired eye. She should probably rest now, as she is a good safe distance from the place she has left. She was feeling guilty, and already missing the room and bed that housed for the past weeks. The thought of not seeing Satsuki again filled her with dejection, and she felt herself tearing up the longer she thought about it. She tried shaking these thoughts out of her head, and focused her attention on finding a place to rest. It was after another long stretch that she saw the small cabin in the middle of a clearing. She wouldn't intrude, even when the place looked empty. She laid down on the deck and closed her eyes, sleep taking over her almost immediately.

"And?" Tsumugu Kinagase barely glanced at Mikisugi, they were in the middle of planning an adventurous excursion when Mikisugi was called into some urgent business. Said urgent business was taking its damned sweet time, but since it was a Sunday, he decided to meet his friend on this fine morning.

"There isn't much to it, I have to finish this job then we'll be ready to roll." He flashed one of his grins.

"It's taking you too long. You gettin' sloppy or something?"

"Some things cannot be hurried. Their beauty lies in shedding off the layers slowly and gently, as rushing the process would ruin the mood and end up being a very slovenly, amateur affair."

"Heh, if ya say so." Tsumugu reaches into his pocket and pulled out his key. The place wasn't too bad, albeit a bit far from everywhere else. Neither the city nor the suburbs were close to him. It would a good few hours walk before he reached another human. The secluded nature of the spot served the perfect location for him, even thought it took some getting used to before he could say it with such an ease.

He unlocked the door and the two men entered the small somewhat cramped cabin. It was enough for one person, and Tsumugu wasn't complaining. Opening the fridge, he obtained two beer cans, tossing one towards his companion, who was examining the map of the era they were supposed to go to. He left him there, he took a long sip of his own can and unlatched the back door, letting the outdoors breeze in the cramped cabin.

"I'll be damned." He had to double take to make sure he wasn't seeing things. Because right there, on his deck, laid a small kid. She had dark hair, the steady rise and fall of her chest indicated that she was sleeping. He stood there gawking at the sight. He noticed the leather bag, and wondered whether he should call the authorities as he didn't want to be labeled a child kidnapper or something of the sort. She must be lost, no one would be out here as the area was mostly cut off from the rest of the city. Where did she even come from?

"I asked you a a question, now where did…. you….disappear…" Mikisugi stopped talking altogether as he saw the scene outside of the cabin.

"Listen, I have nothing to do with this."

"Daaaaaaamn."

"I said—"

"No hold up, something isn't right." He got his phone from his pocket, and dialed the number of his current client.

"What?" Her voice was strained, a rare occurrence. He started connecting the dots, the picture getting clearer to him now.

"Do you happen to be missing a certain princess?"

"W-How do you…?" Yes, the ice queen was certainly way out of her element.

"I dunno much of the details, but she is currently taking a morning nap in an acquaintance's cabin."

"Location?"

"Coming right up."

"I'll be there soon."

True to her word, it only took around forty minutes before there was a knock on the door. Tsumugu was outside, keeping an eye on the still sleeping kid. It was Mikisugi who went to open the door for the Kiryuuin.

"Where is she?"

With a finger to his lips, he indicated her to remain quiet. Tipping his head towards the open back door. She followed him outside, her eyes falling on the petite body that was in deep slumber, a small blanket draped over her.

"What happened?"

"Not a clue. We walked in to this sight. She wandered off far from home."

"Too far."

Just then, the youngest one opened her eyes, sitting up slowly and rubbing sleep away. She looked around her, nothing that she was in the presence of three people.

"S-Satsuki? W-Who…?"

"Ryuuko," Satsuki saw the two men heading back inside, closing the screen door and giving them privacy. "Why did you run away?"

"I— You went to the school."

"So?"

"So? B-But now you know everything! It's useless trying to make things better, I will always screw up and…"

"Listen to me, child. What happened in that school should have never happened. What they have told you is nothing but lies. You're not a bad person, you have a lot of good qualities, and more importantly, I will NEVER give up on you or abandon you. Never. Do you hear me?"

"But…You deserve better than this."

"It doesn't get any better than being with the sister I've been looking for my whole life."

"…" She was on the verge of tears, Satsuki's words affecting her to such an extent. Her running away only adding to the pile of bad decisions she seems very good at making.

"Come here, you sweet child." She wouldn't fault her for running away, even when it scared her half to death. It was the only coping mechanism she knew, being abandoned and failed by everyone before. No, blaming the young girl is out of the question, all she can do is be present and consistent, Ryuuko would, in time, get more accustomed to this dynamic, and she'd develop her own way of handling those stressful emotions. Noticing the quivering lower lip and the tearful gaze, Satsuki had the smaller girl in her embrace in no time, letting her have a good cry, as she was still processing a lot of emotions at once.

"I-I'm sorry! I w-w-won't run away again!"

"It's okay, I know you have a lot on your mind. Come talk to me next time, okay?"

"Okay." Ryuuko felt horrible. She was scared, having been out in the pitch dark, wondering what could be lurking behind shadowed corners, ready to pounce and devour her. During her walking, she realized she wanted to be back in her room; she thought of going back, but she didn't know the way. Her only option was to stick to her plan and keep moving forward, getting herself used to the fact that she will never see Satsuki again. Her resolve was strong, as she was a determined girl who never backed down on anything she was set on. Yet, walking up and seeing Satsuki there—she couldn't hold back her emotions anymore.

Satsuki kept holding her until she was calmer. She has pulled the smaller girl to her lap, one arm wrapped around Ryuuko, while the other hand was stroking her hair. The emotional outburst was intense, and it, eventually, subsided. Both of them stood up, Satsuki reached down and wiped the last remaining tears from Ryuuko's face. They walked back inside of the cabin, Satsuki thanked the two men and took her sister back home. She has called off the search, informing both her Elites and the police that the missing girl was home at last. Despite the rough night and morning, things slowly went back to normal in the Kiryuuin household. Satsuki didn't want the girl suffer any further, despite knowing that there wasn't much she could do about anything. She hoped that with time, Ryuuko would settle and not feel like an intruder that would get sent back where she came from at the drop of a hat. Of course, Satsuki wasn't as naive as to think this was the end of it. If anyone could get over trauma overnight, there won't be such a thing anymore. She remained persistent, not changing anything about their usual routines; making sure that Ryuuko got to see her and spend time with her frequently. She cannot make up for the past, but she can start the healing process. Bonding with her sister would put the latter's fears to rest in due time, and until then, Satsuki was going to do all that she can to ensure that her sister is safe and secure, both physically and emotionally.

* * *

Mikisugi came to her office in the afternoon. It was one of those days she headed to her office in REVOCS to hold several meetings, leaving Rei at the estate to keep an eye on her sister while she finished and came back. Satsuki wasn't surprised, she has been expecting him to report back with his findings. However, it was his forlorn expression and serious tone that got her full attention. Locking the door and not accepting any calls or disturbances, unless it was her sister, Satsuki retreated with him to the meetings area on the left side of her spacious office. Suddenly, the space meant nothing, as the air grew heavy between them, almost foreshadowing the nature of the information he has gathered from his nearly three week undercover investigation.

"What did you find?" She was ready.

"You were right, about the status quo, I mean. Teachers are the perpetrators in this, using their power and authority to inflict harm."

"Get to the point." Why was he dawdling. Suddenly, she felt that she didn't need to hear this. She just needs to be pointed towards the culprits and she'd deal her blow on them.

"It isn't a wide system used regularly. No, that sort of thing…There would be no hiding it if it was meted out without discrimination."

"They picked their targets?"

"Precisely. They'd pick those who cannot fend for themselves, those who had no one taking their side and standing up for them. No one wants to deal with an angry parent or guardian, when a lonely unwanted orphan is around—She's an easy target." Satsuki felt sick.

"What does it entail?" She shouldn't ask to hear more of this.

"Anything that suites their mood. Blame, slander, bad-mouthing, outright yelling obscenities, you name it." He wasn't done.

"Turns out, it was not only verbal abuse that kept them satisfied, so to speak." He cleared his throat. How very uncharacteristic of him.

"It's an old building, with several unused rooms, they served the perfect location for their more serious…maltreatment, so to speak. I went to one of the more frequently used rooms, it was in use. It was all passed under the guise of discipline, and how some kids needed a firm hand to keep them from straying."

"How could they get away with it for this long?" She didn't bother concealing the rage she felt.

"They know how and when to stop before bruises would form. Even if they did, it was well hidden and easily concealed under clothing."

"They singled her out because she had no one on her side? A lonely child being terrorized by a group of pigs that believed it was anything more than that— Names?"

"All here."

"You've done well."

"I gotta ask, do you intend to take them to court?"

"No court is going do them justice. This is a matter that I will handle myself."

Aikuro Mikisugi left the office shortly after, the Kiryuuin's anger was not something he wanted to present for longer than necessary. As he was leaving the building, Satsuki was arranging her own hell to be unleashed on the list of names she's been provided. Now she knew why Ryuuko never spoke of what was happening. Being told that she's worthless with no one wanting to stick around her, that it is only a matter of time before she is sent back to the orphanage, threatening her that they'd tell Satsuki of her vileness and wickedness…The list of crimes was endless. But that wasn't enough for them. No, they had to lay their filthy hands on her, fully convincing her that she deserves all that is being done to her. Ironically, it made sense to her now; spending hours perfecting her assignments yet still calling them sloppy, her long stretches of silence— they all betrayed how she felt, it was her attempt at staying on Satsuki's good side as not to get the same treatment, or worse…Satsuki truly felt sick. She was more determined to teach each and everyone of them just how far her wrath would go. No one hurts her Ryuuko and gets away with it. Not her mother, and certainly not those parasites that needed to be eradicated.

* * *

 **A/N:** I'm sure there are some errors here and there that I couldn't detect despite trying my best. Any thoughts or opinions on this so far? Drop me a comment and I'll get to it asap.


	10. Chapter 10

Since getting full custody, Satsuki has been occupying herself with reading. It wasn't anything she'd find in her vast library. As she has never thought the need of needing this specific type of literature, not when she didn't know the extent of her sister's abuse and neglect. Things have been moving steadily, there were the good days, and there were the bad days. Sometimes, Ryuuko would be compliant and communicative. At other times, she'd be anything but. She'd push and resist everything, rejecting all attempts of trying to communicate with her; often staying in her room and refusing to participate in life. It was, as Satsuki found out during one of her late nights researching the matter, a normal behavioral pattern of children in Ryuuko's circumstances. What Satsuki was dealing with is some fifteen years of emotional and physical neglect and abuse, and those two have brought their own sets of difficulties and challenges. Satsuki didn't blame her sister for her turbulent emotions, as regulating them was not a familiar territory she was taught how to handle. What Satsuki is dealing with, the main topic of the several books she ordered, was forming a bond with the mistreated teen and hoping she can use this particular method in fixing what have been broken long ago.

Despite it's absurdity, it made sense. Being shuffled around from place to place, failing to bond with any single person during her crucial formative years, having a great mistrust of adults—Satsuki never blamed her sister. She has been witness to one incident of what her sister dealt with her entire life. It was a system where the strong fed off the weak, and in an institutional system, the weak had nothing in their disposal to defend themselves with. A mere small lamb amidst a pack of hungry wolves. Under such conditions, the small lamb would reject anything presented to them, as they know it would be used against them, it would be fleeting, good or bad, it didn't matter. A hard shell would be formed, dispelling and rejecting any attempt to reconnect. Been there, done that, their wounds still bleeding, they want to protect themselves and not accept any form of nurture and love. Ryuuko wasn't mistreated at the school only. Satsuki is no fool; she knows that the orphanage inflicted its own horrors on the young girl. If anything, the frequent nightmares Ryuuko suffered from told far more than she'd ever let on. It's not a strange occurrence for Satsuki to wake up to check on her sister, only to find her tossing and turning in bed, trying to escape the clutches of a nightmare that had her in its grip.

It was unsettling; Ryuuko hardly slept through the night on most days. The distance between the two rooms prevented Satsuki from knowing when her little sister was being tormented by one of those nightmares. She did make it a habit to check on Ryuuko as much as she could throughout the night. But that was a hit-or-miss, as she could not predict when a nightmare would occur. At the same time, she didn't feel right about leaving matters as they are, the thought of leaving her sister alone to battle those demons that come out to play in the dead of the night— No, something must be done about it. The idea came to her suddenly; she nearly laughed at how obvious it was, and how long it took her to reach it. It was simple, a basic tool used for this purpose only. It was perfect. The purchase was made quickly, the small box delivered to the estate before the sun was down on that same day.

"What is this?" Ryuuko sat in bed, noticing the white and blue object sitting on the bedside table, not far from where the ticking clock sat.

"A baby monitor."

"Ba— Are you saying that…"

"Don't run wild with the idea. You get bad dreams, I need to wake you up or, at least, do something about it."

"But they're just dreams, you don't have to get up for that."

"Humor me, baby sister. Let me worry about waking up at all hours of the night. Now, I believe it's someone's bedtime." She adjusted the blankets around the somnolent girl.

"Good night, Ryuuko."

"G'night…" With Senketsu held in her arms, Ryuuko was soon fast asleep. All thoughts of the baby monitor and Satsuki's disrupted sleep out of her mind for the time being.

* * *

 _The room is pitch dark._

 _Despite the blinding darkness,_

 _She could feel the walls pressing in on her._

 _Suffocating her._

 _She was tossed in here moments ago._

 _An aftermath of—_

 _One thing or another._

 _The stairs to the tower were long._

 _Her knees ached._

 _Can't stop walking._

 _Must keep ascending._

 _She was dragged by the arm._

 _Big hands holding onto her._

 _Fingers digging on her skin._

 _Marking it._

 _Bruising it._

 _Hurting it._

 _Thrown into the dark room._

 _Lock in place._

 _Jiggling of the keys._

 _Sealing the door shut._

 _Fading footsteps echoing in the hall._

 _She'd be left here alone._

 _It only got worse from there._

 _The sounds were too loud._

 _Some coming from outside._

 _Some from inside her cell._

 _Turning around_

 _Finding nothing_

 _Amidst the dark._

 _Too loud._

 _Too close._

 _What is it?_

 _Where is it?_

 _Her back to the wall._

 _It's cold and dark._

 _She's scared._

 _She wants out._

 _She'll behave next time._

 _Won't get in trouble._

 _Never ever._

 _'Open the door!'_

 _Gotta stay quiet._

 _No one is here._

 _No one can hear her._

 _She'd be left all alone._

 _Chocking on her own sobs._

 _Trying not to wake the monster lurking in the dark._

 _If she's quiet enough it would not see her._

 _'Open…'_

 _A whisper._

 _'….be…good…'_

 _Promises, promises._

 _The don't believe her._

 _Not anymore._

 _Darkness would fade._

 _Light seeping in._

 _The cell is no more._

 _"Wake up, shhhh, it's only a dream."_

 _Satsuki's arms would be around her._

 _Dispelling the cold of the darkness._

 _If only she knew._

 _It was not a dream._

 _Warm arms and a kind voice._

 _A hand wiping at the tears._

 _Promises of safety._

 _Darkness fades._

 _Warmth takes over._

 _Next time her eyes are closed._

 _There is no cold dark cell._

 _No monster waiting in the dark._

 _No teeth sinking into her flesh_

 _Tearing it apart_

 _Piece by piece._

 _This time_

 _Satsuki's warmth remained with her._

 _Eyes drifted shut,_

 _No more scary places._

 _This time its light and warm._

Unlike the now sleeping Ryuuko, Satsuki would be a while before she could follow suit. She heard the alarmed mumbles and whimpers through the monitor she kept on her own beside table. Upon arriving at her sister's room, she saw the tears and the light sobs that plagued her sleep. Waking her up wasn't easy. When Ryuuko's eyes shot open, she still didn't register the fact. Nightmare and reality were intricately interwoven together, confusing the alarmed girl. Satsuki could only hold her close, hoping that the touch would somewhat ground her sister, calm her down enough, slow down the rapid beating of her heart. Eventually, they'd both be asleep. Their physical closeness reassuring both sisters that it was okay to let go. That the other was right here, close by and present. Two separate heartbeats beating in unison, creating a rhythm that both found addicting.

* * *

It wasn't all black with no white spots, however. The two of the them have somehow found a middle ground to get physically closer. Ryuuko's apparent rejection was but a defensive mechanism, a wall she has built around herself for the purpose of self protection. It was, however, beginning to crack at some spots, as seen by her less than subtle attempts at finding her sister, and spending time together near her bedtime. Satsuki has found out that it was during this time that her sister was mostly accepting of any sort of closeness. Ryuuko would settle down, both sets of their eyes locked together as they talked about their day. At times, Satsuki found that the rocking chair was a great asset in easing the younger of them into relaxing. After Satsuki had used it that one night, she found herself using it often; the rocking and physical closeness doing their job at easing Ryuuko into sleep. Besides that, it was their time to spend alone together. At times, Ryuuko would head to the small bookshelf and pull one of the books, spending few minutes reading chapters of fairy tales she has never got to learn about before.

It began one day, Satsuki returned home early, while Ryuuko was still taking her last lesson for the day. Satsuki went to her room, freshened up and returned downstairs by the time the newly assigned teacher was about to leave. She was keeping a close eye on her progress, talking with the teacher once a week and noting any issues that needed to be solved.

"Aside from the complaining and the theatrics, Ryuuko is doing well. As things are, she would have no problems keeping up with the classes at Honnouji Academy. As long as she keeps up her current level of work." It was a promising prospect, the diminishing anxiety playing a great role in making the lessons more beneficial, as the teen discovered that sloppy work meant repeating it over and over until it was satisfactory, and nothing else beyond that.

After the teacher took her leave, Satsuki called her sister, telling her to get her shoes on as they were going to head out for a little outing before dinner. Satsuki would drive them to the small coffee house she spotted one day. It was located atop a tall hill, the small building sitting near the edge of the cliff, the outside seating area facing the ocean that lay beneath, providing visitors a breathtaking view in addition to the quality handcrafted snacks and drinks. As she was driving back from work one day, Satsuki spotted the cozy place and decided to bring her sister to it, as she didn't really go out much if it wasn't with Satsuki.

"Do you come here a lot?" Ryuuko was curious, the place was unlike anything she has ever seen. Not that has seen a lot in the first place.

"No, this is my first time trying it. Although the reviews it has gotten are very solid. The chocolate brownie being their signature dessert and apparently, a must try." Satsuki wasn't into this sort of thing. To her, a well brewed pot of tea is the perfect pastime, the chocolatey dessert? That's for Ryuuko to enjoy.

"Really? They do have a lot of different cakes here." She was eyeing the menu carefully, her eyes seeking a certain flavor that she happened to enjoy a lot. It wouldn't be a citrus explosion, but she settled for a slice of lemon cheesecake, and a lemonade. The two, consumed together, should satisfy her sour cravings, even though the intensity of it won't surpass the surge of taste she got when munching on an entire lemon.

"Do you know the story of Alice?" The question came out of nowhere.

"Alice in Wonderland?" Satsuki was a tad confused.

"Mhm."

"I do. What are you asking this for?" It certainly wasn't their usual topic of conversation.

"Do you know the full story of Alice?"

"I have read it in the past, a long time ago. But yes, to answer your question, I do know her story." She wondered where this was coming from.

"There was a bit about Alice and a rabbit hole in one of the textbooks I was working on earlier. It sounded…Interesting."

"You never read the story before?" Silly question, of course she didn't.

"No."

"If that's the case, and better than me telling you an extremely brief version of the story, we can head to the bookstore and pick a copy of the story."

"Okay." She's never been to a bookstore before, she kind of looked forward to the unexpected visit.

"It closes late, there will be enough time to browse different isles and sections, you can pick out as many books as you want." Ryuuko wasn't big on reading. Sure, she enjoyed her comics, but those were hardly called books. She did enjoy the small book collection in her room, she mostly read those with Satsuki at night before bed. Maybe if she finds this book on Alice in Wonderland, she could read it with her sister tonight before bed.

The setting sun retreated behind the ocean, painting the entire scenery with a stark orange bright light. They lingered in their seats, not verbalizing delaying their return to the car as the view was quite astounding. Prompting them to sit and continue their light chatter. As the horizon took in a purple hue, indicating that the day has officially ended, the two sisters rose from their seats and took slow steps towards the car parked not far from the small structure. The early night air had a nice chill to it, nothing cold, but it provided a pleasant rawness.

The drive from the small coffee house to the bookstore wasn't a long one. It was mainly due to the location of the coffee house, as it was located off the main road that leads to the buzzing city, its location being close yet secluded from the noise and traffic, providing tranquility and exuberance to its patrons. But that part is done and over with now; Satsuki has had her fix of tea, and Ryuuko had eaten half of the cheesecake slice she ordered, it was time to head to their second, unplanned, destination. Satsuki would note that her sister was more interactive; agreeing to go out and enjoying herself, engaging in conversation and wanting to try something new. She would not comment on it, opting to leave things going in this pleasant direction. She almost felt like speaking about it would break the magical spell that was holding it all together. So, for now, she will refrain from broaching the topic and see what Ryuuko is going to do once they were inside the book store.

Once again, Satsuki was grateful for the small crowd that was in the bookstore. The time, and the fact that it was a weekday, both indicating that indeed, not a lot would be present as the store at this time. Picking one of the small shopping baskets near the entrance, Satsuki led her bewildered sister to the fairy tales isle. Ryuuko was indeed confused, the bookshop was huge, with endless shelves packed with different books. She wondered, how could anyone find a specific book they want amidst all of these books. As sh stood there, looking from one shelf to another, not knowing which direction to go, and which isle to start exploring, she felt her sister, taking her hand, slowly directing her towards a certain isle with a sign that read 'Fairy Tales'.

Ryuuko was very interested to say the least about how she felt while they looked through the stacked bookshelves. She kept a sharp eye on anything that started with 'Alice', spotting several books but none were the book she was looking for. On her end, Satsuki was about a couple of steps behind the shorter girl, giving her space to look at the books and to find what she was looking for. It was partially this reason, and it was partially her amusement at merely watching her sister flipping through several books, turning them in her hands and reading the small description at the back. Ryuuko did eventually find Alice in Wonderland, but when she did so, she already had several books stacked together, each one appealing to her in its own way.

"Satsuki, I found the book, but…Those also…" She trailed, not finishing her sentence. She was uncertain of her sister's reaction. Satsuki did say they'd come here to pick a book, not several books.

"I will return the others." She could still save this.

"Ryuuko, there is no reason to return any book you find interesting. To be frank, I would encourage you to look through several more shelves and pick as many books as you want."

"For real?" She needed to double check, no use of getting her hopes up only for it to end up being a great misunderstanding.

"Yes, Ryuuko. Now come, I think I know what other books would appeal to you." Ryuuko placed the four books in the basket, and followed her sister towards the isle she was leading her to. As she did previously, Ryuuko looked at several books before settling on two; one had an interesting cover, and the other got her attention with its title and synopsis. She might start on it once her lessons are over the next day.

"I'm done." She declared, looking at the small collection of books she scoured for the day.

"Are you sure this is everything? Would you like to look at more books?" Satsuki wasn't in a hurry to leave, her sister seemed to enjoy herself, flipping through the pages of the books and getting engrossed in different story lines, collecting different books and wanting to read them at her leisure time. It was certainly a good start. Satsuki made a mental note to add the bookshop to the list of places to take Ryuuko to, to have a good time and enjoy herself with all the books.

"Not really, this is all I want to take."

She wouldn't push her to either look at more shelves or to look for more books. Ryuuko was ready to leave, having had enough of being in the bookstore looking at different covers and spines. Time does fly quickly when one is busy, and their short visit has ended up being an hour full of moving between several shelves, picking and returning books as Ryuuko considered which ones appealed enough to her to read when she felt like doing so. As things were, Ryuuko did spend some time before bed reading some pages from a book she enjoyed. At times, she'd be laying in her bed, reading before putting the book aside and falling asleep. At other times, she's silently let Satsuki do the task, pushing the book in her older sister's hands and pulling her blanket up, covering half of her face, leaving only her eyes visible as she listened to one of the stories that were placed on the bookshelf from before she came to the estate.

By the end of the hour they spent browsing books, the small crowd has diminished in size, making for a quick stop at the checkout desk to pay for the days's purchase. Ryuuko carried the bag, a content expression on her face, the closest thing to a smile that Satsuki could recall in all the time she had Ryuuko staying with her. The light mood remained during the mostly silent car ride, none of them feeling much up to a light conversation. A comfortable silence accompanied them until they pulled over the main door of the estate. Ryuuko picked up the bag and hurried up the stairs, eager to display the new additions to her small collection of books. She stacked the older books on the right side, leaving enough space for the new ones on the left side. Satisfied with their arrangement, being lined up alphabetically, she went back downstairs, ready to meet her sister for dinner.

What followed dinner was the usual nightly routine the two sisters stuck by. After her bath, Ryuuko returned to her bed, smoothing the comforter as she sat on the edge of the bed, waiting for Satsuki to come. Since they got in the car, she has been mostly quiet, not feeling up to saying much, as if their earlier outing had taken most of her energy. She was content, however, her silence now so unlike how it was days ago. Satsuki's arrival pulled her out of her trance, she looked at her approaching sister. She hopped off of the bed, she was by the bookshelf, looking it it and retrieving the book she wanted to know about for two days now. The older sister took the book given to her, her yes falling on the girl on the cover. With her long hair, falling through the rabbit hole, an array of different items lining the big drop, transferring her from the world she knew to another completely foreign for her. It was not so unlike what happened to Ryuuko, as she, too, have experienced a great shift in her life. Being taken from her old life of abuse and neglect, and starting with Satsuki where things would, hopefully, turn to the better.

Ryuuko settled under the covers, her eyes not leaving her sister as she listened to the story of Alice, who was sitting on the river bank with her sister, enjoying themselves before Alice's curiosity led her to follow the rabbit down the mysterious hole. Satsuki glanced at her sister every now and then, it was the longest stretch of Ryuuko remaining awake since slipping under the covers. Satsuki was nearing the end of the first chapter, and she couldn't help drawing a parallel between the sleepy girl and the young heroin of the book; personal identity, understanding the crazy happenings in the world around her…She smiled faintly, closing the book and memorizing the page she stopped at. Ryuuko was sleeping, at last, a certain stuffed rabbit resting on the pillow next to her. Brushing the thick tresses away from her forehead, Satsuki planted a soft, brief kiss in their place. Returning the book to its shelf, she left the room, keeping the bedside table's lamp on, keeping the room illuminated softly.

* * *

 **A/N** : Here is some fluff to counter the past two chapters~


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N** : This delay was brought to you by life and distractions. But it's here at last.

* * *

Ryuuko took a deep breath, her hands holding the smooth end tightly, her eyes trained on her momentarily opponent. Her eyes were on any movement made, which had yet to occur, but she wouldn't let her guard down. She was at her element, so to speak. Well armed and ready to charge. She was waiting for the cue, a single movement that would let her loose, going all out and ending up both disarming and winning. She knows that she can do it, give her a weapon she can swing around, and the battle is already hers. Her skill has never failed her, she knows when to strike and she knows how to do it. This would be a walk in the park compared to what she has done before. Not one to take a step back when facing off in a fight, she was the first one to make her move and charge, weapon ready to strike and disarm, ensuring her triumph.

Satsuki was ready for the younger's charge; Ryuuko had speed alright, but her style wasn't anything anyone would call refined. In contrast, Satsuki was knowledgable in several styles, most which she learned at a much younger age, mastering one skill after the other. The idea occurred to her a day ago, while she was preparing to sleep. The dojo was abandoned for sometime, she has not had the time to visit it in the lower level of the Kiryuuin mansion since she got Ryuuko in her custody. It was a whimsical thought, getting her sister down there and just…sparring with her. It would give her an opportunity to gauge out the teen's skill in charging at her opponent, and give her proper training to master a useful skill. She saw her sister taking the first step, charging at her at full speed, blade raised and ready to knock Satsuki off her feet. It was ambitious, she'd give her that much credit, but aside from her speed, Ryuuko lacked coordination, leaving several open spots to be struck at.

Satsuki dodged the attack with ease, using her blade to stop the other in it's track. As Ryuuko jumped back, Satsuki took advantage of an opening at the younger girl's left side. The agile teenager was quick to jump out of the way, barely missing the strike that nearly caught her side. Grinning as she charged yet once again, using her speed to overwhelm her sister. It wasn't to be, as Satsuki was able to dodge every single hit directed her way, responding with calculated strikes that have caught the younger girl more than once. It still didn't stop Ryuuko, as she kept coming, circling Satsuki in all directions trying to get a clean hit. Ryuuko's fighting was messy, as it was brutal. She'd charge over and over, not bothering to follow any particular style, if Satsuki was to give it a name, it would be nothing short of street brawling. Nevertheless, her grip on the hilt of the wooden sword was solid, and she swung it with ease, what she needed was refining those skills and she'd a force to be reckoned with. Deciding the draw a conclusion to their fight, Satsuki dealt the final blow, knocking Ryuuko on her back, the end of the wooden sword nearly touching her neck.

"You're good."

"I told ya, I know my way around a fight." She accepted the hand offered to her, pulling her up on her two feet.

"You need training, your skill need to be reigned in, to be refined and controlled. Charging blindly would get you nowhere." Satsuki commented, tossing her a towel.

"It got me far enough, a lot would not harass me or taunt me after I've dealt with them. There is nothing wrong with my fighting."

"Yet you didn't manage to land a single hit against me. I wonder why."

Tch.

"I bet if we fought again I'd kick your ass."

"I seriously doubt it, little sister."

"Wanna go?" She challenged.

"I believe that was enough for one day. I'll set you up with someone I trust, he will give you pointers and spar with you until you develop your own style."

"Like I said, I already got my own style, you just gotta wait and see!"

It would be a good idea to get Sanageyama here a couple of times every week, both him and Ryuuko would enjoy these sessions, they'd probably wear each other out before they decide to call it a day. She made a mental note to make this arrangement soon, and set up a schedule for those sessions.

"Why do you have those wooden swords anyways?" Ryuuko was now closely examining the sturdy sword in her hands.

"Training swords?" She mumbled.

"They're kendo swords. They can be used for your general entertainment, as you seemed to be really enjoying yourself here."

"Hell yeah I was enjoying myself! You have this huge ass dojo and those swords! We should be down here fighting and training every day!" Well, at least now Satsuki knew what got her sister all bubbly and excited. She would definitely make more use of this place, and spend time with her sister exchanging blows, so to speak.

It was a good distraction, if anything else. As the elder sister was balancing her time between working and figuring out the next step, or the next hurdle both of them need to get over. The current school semester was drawing near an end, and Ryuuko was officially going to transfer to the new school at the beginning of the new semester. However, due to what she has been through in her old school, transitioning back into attending regular classes might not be a favorable thing. Somehow, staying at home and getting her schooling there wasn't met with a lot of resistance, as Ryuuko didn't seem to mind it much. On the other hand, Satsuki knows that the prospect of going back to school would pose an anxiety worthy apprehension, sending the younger girl back into memories of abuse and rejection. As things were, Ryuuko needs to attend school, she needs to mingle with others of her age, and she needs to make friends and thrive, and to enjoy her life to the fullest. Hence, Satsuki has been in frequent contact with the same school she has attended during her schooling years, and the very next day, she was going to meet up with the school board and the counselor, they'd all sit together and propose a game plan for helping Ryuuko settle in with the least disturbance as possible.

Being the realist that she is, Satsuki knows that her work can be demanding at times, and that she cannot be around her sister all the time. Of course, there was Rei, but she was hardly capable of looking after a young girl. Besides, the woman was an outstanding secretary, that's where she excelled, she wasn't going to give her more than she can handle. The solution was simple, and it was right in front of her. One of the older servants was relieved from her duties, her job now was to mainly care for Ryuuko. It was not a random choice; Satsuki trusted the woman, Oruga, to handle the job just fine. Besides that, after a while, Ryuuko seems to have warmed up to the woman, gradually allowing her to care for her without giving her as much of hard time as she did at the start. With Oruga handling matters sufficiently, Satsuki would work late at the company when the need rose. Ryuuko wouldn't be alone at all. As she's being tucked in bed, Satsuki would get on the phone with her, wishing her a good night before returning to her work. She admits, she was somewhat hesitant about this, but she reasoned that it is the best course of action due to her own busy schedule; it was either the older woman, or Ryuuko being left by herself. Satsuki's choice was already made.

"Miss Ryuuko? Of course, I'll be glad to watch over her in your absence." The older woman responded to the offer.

"Are you sure? It can be challenging at times."

"With all due respect, Lady Satsuki, I've raised five kids without killing any of them. I can take care of the little miss just fine."

"It's decided then." Really, she wasn't going to argue with the woman. Oruga was already so fond of her little sister, she knows she's in good hands during her time away from the estate.

It has been some time since that arrangement, and she admits that she is less worried now that Ryuuko is being watched by a trusted person. Of course, she did not use this as an excuse to remain in HQ until late every night; it would only occur rarely, when something urgent is holding her up. On a regular day-to-day basis, she'd be back home soon after Ryuuko's classes were over.

With most issues taken care of, Satsuki truly had one last thing to do before she's on track with everything. She has scheduled a meeting with the school board to discuss the delicate nature of Ryuuko's past, and how it would impact her time at the Academy. The meeting has gone well; Satsuki has relayed the emotional state of Ryuuko, and the effect her previous school experience have left on her psyche. It would be an understatement to say that this returning to school would be quite the bumpy ride. But some things need to be done and taken care of. As difficult as it was, Ryuuko must attend school, being cooped up in the house would do her no good, despite how peaceful she felt. Satsuki was indeed torn about this matter; between wanting to provide her sister with as much comfort as possible, and between making sure she gets out of her shell and mingle in the world. This time, she won't be alone and victimized by those in higher positions. With Satsuki on her side, Ryuuko will not come to anymore harm, if someone does, Satsuki will handle them herself. Just like she did with those who dared harm her sister, making her suffer for years. Despite it being seemingly over for now, the effects still lingered, clutching her in their grasp; and they won't let go of her any time soon. Satsuki would focus on one thing at a time, for now, she will finalize the enrollment process and move from there.

Being a Kiryuuin, and being one particular Satsuki Kiryuuin, everything was done quickly and efficiently, and all to her bidding. Satsuki picked each and every teacher for her sister's classes; most were the same teachers from her days as a student at this same academy. She still knew them by name, and knew who are the right ones to pick, and who are the one's to stay away from. Despite being quite good at their job, some were simply…too loud, which would be an overload on Ryuuko's sensory system. It could very easily startle her, overwhelm her, and throw her into panic. With this long process done, Satsuki held a private meeting with the counselor, Urushima Hinako. They have retreated to Urushima's office, locking the door and sitting down, ready to discuss the more delicate aspect of Ryuuko attending school. Satsuki was brief and detailed, bringing into light all that has been inflicted on her sister inside the old school, by those who were supposed to be looking out for her and protecting her from harm.

"She'd certainly be very distressed when faced with going to school again after… _that_." Urushima commented.

"It would do no good to start her coming to school next semester, it could make things worse, which would hinder her progress and ability to learn. How is she taking to homeschooling?"

"She is doing great, education wise. It would only impair her socially the longer she remains shut in, not mingling with others of the same age."

"I get your point. Well—We could start easing her into it, slowly."

"What do you suggest?"

"Bring her for casual visits to school, nothing too taxing, only one day per week. Seeing the building, walking through the halls, familiarizing herself with everything so that she would be ready when school starts for the next semester.

"Of course, those visits might not start all smooth and good. There might be a lot of resistance, as miss Matoi would be recalling all the unpleasant memories of being in a school. Bring her for a short visit, even if it's only for few minutes, which would hopefully turn into longer visits as time goes by.

"We will take it slow, match her pace. Even if she only manages to just cross the courtyard. The following week we will aim for a longer visit, until she is comfortable and feeling safe enough. Of course, you will be accompanying her, your presence and closeness would certainly be helpful for this to work out."

Satsuki listened, agreeing to the plan. She had no doubt it would be a challenging feat, but it was a necessary step. She will, for certain, be with her sister every step of the way. But if it gets to be too much for the younger girl to handle, she will step in and delay the visit until Ryuuko is feeling better about it.

"In the case it proves to be too much for Ryuuko to handle, I will call off the whole visit. As her emotional and physical wellbeing are a top priority. We will maintain a flexible plan, depending on how she handles the change that is about to occur."

"Of course, Lady Kiryuuin. I would not want to put her in any position she cannot handle. But of course, all of this is premature talk; we will have to schedule the first visit and see how it goes, move on from there."

"We'll come on Friday, at nine fifteen. Classes would be in session, the quieter atmosphere would be more helpful."

"Agreed. I will clear my schedule at this time on Friday, two days from today. I look forward to meeting Miss Matoi and helping her out of the situation she is in."

"Likewise."

And thus, their meeting was over. Satsuki has accomplished all that she has planned for this day, what was left now is preparing Ryuuko for the upcoming visit on Friday, something that Satsuki knew would not go well with the younger girl. But alas, things have to be done, as unpleasant as may be. After leaving the school, Satsuki headed to REVOCS HQ, throwing herself in her work for the next few hours, only leaving the building towards her home when Ryuuko's lessons were to be over.

* * *

She was alerted by the screaming.

She was somewhat used to the whimpering that accompanied the frequent nightmares. Ryuuko never spoke about the past, what glimpses she could catch were directly from nightmares and several physical ailments that manifested on the younger girl's psyche. Try as she might, she could't work with much when she knew nothing about what happened. She knows that abuse was present; that much was obvious. She didn't know any specifics, however. Putting what happened in the school aside, there was the orphanage, and the foster families… It was absurd to think that all of those people have hurt a vulnerable child instead of protecting her. From what little she gathered, Ryuuko didn't like being in the dark. She'd avoid looking at or be near a dark room. Getting a night light was the only way she could feel safe in her own room. She was always trying to behave in a way that made her seem invisible. Always agreeing, doing exactly as she's told. Her past experiences making her wary of everything around her, as if she will get assaulted as soon as she doesn't follow instructions. It was not the case here, as Satsuki never imposed anything on her sister. But the damage was too great to be erased so easily. Ryuuko would not know how to be herself anymore, always waiting for the next command, fearing the consequences of messing up or not following them accordingly.

Bottling her feelings was never a good thing to do. Satsuki hoped that Ryuuko would talk, but that was not possible. She hoped that by adding sparring sessions, her sister would have the opportunity to let some of those feelings out with her swings. Anything would be better than the explosive tantrums that overtook the younger sibling from time to time. She'd be frustrated, taking her anger mostly at herself; yelling obscenities and not responding to anything Satsuki would say. Laying on the floor, the poundage of her emotions weighing her down, making her unable to get up or even shake herself out of their clutches. There would be nothing for Satsuki to do; she'd have to wait it out. She'd remain outside of the room, hearing the agonizing meltdown is a tad easier than witnessing it. She'd only come back to the room when the angry yells and cries turned into broken sobs. Ryuuko would be limp, not fighting her and refusing her touch. She'd hold her little sister in her arms for as long as was needed. Letting her cry and hold on to her, eventually she'd fall asleep, her emotions having worn her out.

Satsuki was used to the nightmares. Sometimes, a simple back rub and soothing whispers worked in alleviating the bad dreams. Sometimes, she needs to wake up the distressed child. Getting a full night's sleep was never a common occurrence anymore. Saying that she is used to them is absurd. No, she wasn't used to them, never will. She was just…good at handling them. She knows how to calm her sister down, put her back to sleep after the inconvenient disturbance. On her own, Satsuki wouldn't be able to do much; she is neither a parent, nor a child psychologist. Helping Ryuuko requires more than unconditional love, even if it played a major part. She broached the topic one day after settling her sister in bed at night.

"Talk to someone? What do you mean?"

"A specialist. Someone you can talk to about all kinds of things and they'll help you manage everything." One of her hands caressed the dark tresses.

"Do I have to?"

"You don't. I won't push you to do something you don't feel comfortable with. The choice is yours to make."

"B-But I don't want to talk about… _Stuff_."

"Are you sure?"

A nod.

"Alright. If you change your mind you can always tell me and I'll schedule an appointment, okay?"

"Okay."

Ryuuko might have rejected the thought of a therapist, but Satsuki needed the help. She scheduled an appointment for herself, arranging to meet the therapist and discussing Ryuuko's past and circumstances. Satsuki brought up the intense nightmares, the ones that had her sister sitting up in bed, not acknowledging her nor waking up no matter how much she tried to pull her out of the vivid dream. She was then introduced to what is known as night terrors.

Those episodes were horrible; her only consolation is that Ryuuko never recalled any of them the next day. They were always so evocative, so intense and deplorable. Having a name for conditions helped greatly, and she was more sure of her ability to handle this issue now that she had research material. Thus, with the help of the child psychologist, Satsuki felt more confident in her ability to care for her sister.

She pushed Ryuuko's door open. She was sitting in bed, unaware of her sister's presence as her eyes focused on a spot on one of the corners of the room. Her legs kicking the covers away as she screamed and apologized to what was haunting her at the moment. As much as she wanted to interfere, try in vain to end the episode, the therapist's words rang loud in her ears, reminding her of what to do.

"Never wake her up during a night terror spell, wait it out, let it pass. When it does, ease her back into a sleeping position. Only interfere when her safety is involved, simply steer her away but otherwise leave her be."

And thus, she had no choice but to witness the entire phase. From the incorrigible mumbles, she gathered it was a man Ryuuko was seeing. She kept apologizing, over and over, promising to close (the door?) next time.

"Don't…"

"Don't…."

" 'm sorry!"

"Sorry!"

Wide, terrified eyes did not blink for the entirety of ten long minutes. After that, it seemed to be over. She'd lay her down, pull the blanket up, wipe the escaped tears and remain sitting next to the now sleeping girl. She looked much younger than her actual age, she was so small and vulnerable. It hasn't been a full hour since Satsuki tucked her in for the night. Night terrors were not nightmares, they only occur within the first hour or so of falling asleep. Always during the non-REM sleep. As it was not a dream, and the young girl is completely unaware of anything, she needs to be watched over to make sure she doesn't hurt herself. That was all Satsuki could do, nothing more, nothing less. She remained seated, her hand not leaving Ryuuko's back, rubbing it soothingly until the younger one's breathing slowed down, indicating that she is finally asleep. Satsuki would not move just yet, instead, she'd continue her administrations for good while before deciding to head to bed herself.

* * *

One thing of particular interest Satsuki have discovered, is that holding mock sword fights with her sister was rewarding on more than one front. For starters, it appears that both sisters enjoyed this activity quite a lot; Satsuki would destress, get her blood pumping and going in a flash, boosting her mood drastically. She would argue that it held the same effect on her sister, as Ryuuko would be relatively chatty, bringing up many stories of her past, especially those days of being a street brawler. It showed in her style, as Ryuuko did what most would call, dirty fighting. She played by no rules, swinging the wooden sword around with great ease, not afraid to throw in a calculated punch or kick in order to overwhelm her opponent. It might have worked in the past, but she had a hard time landing any clean hits on the experienced Satsuki, who managed to dodge most of the oncoming blows and dealing some of her own. All in all, spending time in the dojo has been one of the things both sisters enjoyed, and it has become a part of their daily routine to head to the lower level and engage in some healthy fights.

That was how days usually went; the two would part ways in the morning, Ryuuko staying in the mansion and getting busy with her different lessons, while Satsuki headed to her office at REVOCS, she would usually be back by the time the lessons were over, as Satsuki did use this routine to moderate her working hours, and not end up working for days to no end as she usually did before having Ryuuko in her life. Satsuki also knew that her sister acted somewhat carefree with not much care about anything. But, one does not get over trauma just because they pushed it at the back of their minds. While Ryuuko's demons were easier to keep at bay during most days, they'd usually come out when the sun was down. Satsuki did notice the pattern, as well as the younger girl's behavior. By dinner time, Ryuuko would grow quiet, unlike her usual conduct. It would persist with each ticking hand of the clock, making her speak less and less, the only vulnerability betrayed is in how she silently trailed after Satsuki, as if she has to visually confirm the other's presence. It made little to console the older sister, as her presence would calm the perturbation of the younger one of being left behind, all alone.

As such, Satsuki wouldn't leave Ryuuko until she was fast asleep under the soft comforter. Their nights, unlike their days, consisted mostly of silent moments and physical contact. Satsuki did form a plan, having read several books on how to connect with her sister, how to form and shape trust…It was a long shot, as she was certain that her attempts would be met with rejection, if not flat-out laughed at. To her surprise, it didn't. On the contrary, those very acts are what seemed to wrap the space around them with peacefulness and safety. The simple action of rocking the younger one, reading her a story, holding her close and rubbing her back—They seemed to quell her nerves and relax her enough to sleep. Despite her initial trepidation about the effectiveness of this method, it has shown her that indeed, it does has an effect, as fatuous as it sounded and appeared.

She looked at the pair of eyes locked into her own. They were trying to focus, despite being sleepy, half open lids would struggle to remain open, their owner determined to listen to this particular tale to the end. They were only four chapters into Alice in Wonderland, reading chunks and pieces of it every night, the length depending on how much longer the younger sister could remain awake. Satsuki stopped reading as she felt the smaller body slumping, still leaned against her own; she didn't stop the rocking, not yet. The arm she had around Ryuuko still at it's position, cocooning her. She still hadn't brought up the topic of visiting the school, Ryuuko was doing a lot better in that regard; bringing up going to school would surely stunt this progress, and might send everything back to the way it was. Friday was only two days away, she reminded herself, an idle hand stoking the dark tresses of the sleeping sister. She will bring the matter to light the next day, she promised herself.


	12. Chapter 12

A/N: It's been a while since I updated! My apologies for that. I was caught up in a lot of things; making some life-changing decisions & rushing to meet application deadlines- That past couple of months were very hectic, to say the least. But I haven't abandoned any of my stories & here I am with an update~ Read and enjoy.

* * *

For the first time in her life, Satsuki was hesitant about something. It was Thursday, the day has just begun, and she had plenty of time to mull over this matter. Despite her short stay, Satsuki knew her sister better than anyone, she has the girl under her watchful eye most of the time, listening to her, observing her, providing her with safety and keeping her from getting into any harm. She also understands the young girl's fears, as subtle as she is at hiding them and brushing them off as nothing. However, it could hardly go past Satsuki, even when she pretended not to notice, playing along while keeping a careful eye on Ryuuko. People usually failed to notice the little things, but they were what Satsuki was mostly focusing on, as those little incidents would give her the information she needs. She is not a parenting expert, she is not even a parent, but for Ryuuko—She was willing to walk the extra mile to help her sister as much as she could. If staying at home and getting homeschooled was more beneficial, she would not have considered this step at all. As things were, Ryuuko needs to go to school. As she slowly trusted Satsuki enough to get close to her, to welcome a small touch, or to simply be in the same room with her…The same could be done with school. It wasn't only a matter of education, as that is hardly the issue here. Social interaction is a must, as Ryuuko mainly had negative encounters, having never formed a friend and was instead taunted and bullied. By going to school, she would get the chance to form healthy friendships, even if it was a slow and bumpy process, but receiving no harm from fellow students would encourage much healthier interactions, and things would move forward from there.

That was one issue, which is the least troublesome. It would be more difficult for Ryuuko to let go of the abuse and trauma she endured at the hands of those who called themselves teachers; taking every opportunity to berate and assault her. For her to be hesitant and apprehensive about going to a school where she is around teachers for an entire day…Satsuki wouldn't blame the girl for having any kind of a strong reaction towards such a suggestion. Were it up to Satsuki, she should let her sister remain at home, where she is kept safe and sound, under her watchful eye at all times. But that wouldn't be doing the younger girl any good, despite being comfortable. She fully understands the importance of making such difficult decisions, as the smaller girl has to leave the nest and embark on her own adventure. Thus, Satsuki has decided on taking Ryuuko for a quick visit to her school. Making the place less alien and alarming would help her transition to become a student at Honnouji Academy. She trusted the staff to handle her precious sister with care, her wrath is not something others wanted to experience, should Ryuuko come to any harm while within the academy's walls—The consequences would be dire for everyone who is involved. This thought kept her reassured, and besides, they will only be doing short visits, for now, attending school for real is still a little while away.

Satsuki would put the matter behind for now; after coming back from work, she will talk to Ryuuko about their plans for tomorrow. For now, she will not bring the matter up as it would no one any good. She picked up her briefcase and left her room, coincidently, meeting her sister at the stairs.

"Good morning Ryuuko, you're up early today."

"'mornin'. Yeah, I kinda just woke up and couldn't get back to sleep. Figured I'd start early."

"Mhm, well then, let's take advantage of this opportunity and enjoy breakfast together before your tutor arrives." It was certainly a good start. If she was into signs, Satsuki would take this as a good cue, a foreshadowing of some sort towards the events of the rest of the day and possibly the next day.

"Yeah, okay."

"I will be coming back earlier than the usual time tonight, how about we go out for dinner later on?" The blinds were drawn, the big windows not standing in the way of the bright sun rays penetrating the glass brightening the room considerably.

"…Sure." Ryuuko could feel that something was up, Satsuki wasn't the usual Satsuki. Despite the latter's reassurances, she couldn't help but wonder what brought this on. They did go out regularly, that was normal for them by now, but something about Satsuki made her feel uneasy. Perhaps taking care of her was becoming too much— Maybe she's sick of having her around all day every day. She only has herself to blame for getting her hopes up and believing that she will stay here for longer than she was needed.

"Ryuuko?" Satsuki noticed the subdued look and hunched shoulders, she recognized what her sister was thinking, as it is not the first time it has occurred.

"You better not be thinking of anything close to you not being here, or that I will send you somewhere else."

"Huh? Then w-why you…?" Was she a mind reader now?

"It is something entirely else. Rest assured, child, you're not getting rid of me that easily."

"You do seem off yourself—Is everything really okay?"

"Yes, I have a lot to do hence my lack of much concentration. There is nothing for you to worry about."

"When are you coming back tonight?" Ryuuko found herself trusting what her older sister was saying. During her entire stay, the older one never broke a promise or went back on anything she said, Ryuuko found that she could work with that.

"At around five, I want you to be ready by then."

"I'll be ready."

Soon after their conversation ended, the doorbell rang, and Ryuuko went to get her daily schooling for the remainder of the day. Satsuki, on the other hand, took the long way to the HQ, giving herself more time to think of the matter that has been bothering her for two days now. Seeing Ryuuko happy and thriving is rejuvenating, the girl was doing great school wise, and she was slowly coming out of her shell and talking more and more as days rolled by. It was a change that everyone who saw her regularly noticed. The smiles were more frequent, and she was growing more confident the more decisions she got to make regarding anything. Most importantly, she was growing more and more trusting of Satsuki. Not counting what happens during nighttime, as the sun going down usually took several years from the teen, rendering her nearly a non-verbal, clingy and frightened small child. It's the time where her defenses would all be down, leaving her vulnerable to anything. Hence, Satsuki never left the younger girl's room before she was fast asleep under her snug covers. In either case, she had Ryuuko's best interest at heart, no matter how bumpy the road ahead would be at first, things will smooth over and the next transition would be conquered.

In the meantime, Ryuuko was well into her lessons, making the usual progress, and up to her usual daily routine. She was finishing up a sheet-full of questions, ones she only sloppily scribbled a one or two words answer to each question.

"Ryuuko, you know this won't do. Here, re-do all the answers again." The tutor lightly reprimanded. She silently took the paper and did the exact same work, awarding a similar reaction and yet another copy of the paper to be re-done. She went through the same page four times before she wrote the correct answers properly and they were finally able to move on to something else. This didn't last for long, as not two hours later Ryuuko was fed up, and decided she wasn't going to study anymore for today.

"I don't want to do this anymore!" She dropped the pencil, pushing her chair back from the table.

"Suit yourself, we will both remain here until study hours are over." The woman was too calm.

"You can't make me study more." Crosses her arms over her chest, a frown taking place on her face.

"I won't make you do anything."

It wasn't an unusual scenario, as it seemed to occur around two or three times a week now. At first, Ryuuko was careful and wary, mainly remaining quiet and finishing all of her tasks without saying much. As time went by, and the safer she felt, her attempts at pushing and testing began. It was a good sign, hence, the tutor didn't reprimand the girl on her behavior, and instead, will wait it out as she'd eventually give up and return to the task she was so intent on abandoning for the rest of the day. Because, really, not responding was the best course of action to cut this silent tantrum short.

Ryuuko remained quiet, arms still crossed. Her eyes were on her tutor, waiting for any change. None came, the longer she waited the more things remained the same. With each tick of the clock, her resolve wavered. She slowly uncrossed her arms, frown still present, pushing her chair back towards the table and taking the discarded pencil once again.

Being Ryuuko's private tutor, the woman was aware of what has transpired at the young teen's old school; she is expecting those antics, as Ryuuko would push and push to gauge the woman's reaction. Testing the waters, wondering if sloppiness and general lack of interest would result in any harm done to her. Despite her continuous tries, her tutor reacted in the same manner, and eventually, she'd be back to studying with a more enthusiastic demeanor now that she has tested and found out that all is good and safe. Of course, such incidents were reported to the head of the Kiryuuin family, she would be giving a brief report of the day's happenings, noting any shifts or changes in the young charge's behavior.

By three thirty the tutor was on her way out of the Kiryuuin mansion, that's another day done with lessons. Ryuuko has left the study and headed to the living room, as she has been doing for the entirety of her stay. After lessons, she'd take a break. Oruga would have a snack ready for her to enjoy while she watched television. She has picked few shows and was watching them with great attention. She'd usually watch several episodes in a row until she falls into a short nap on the couch, or Satsuki arrives. It was usually a mix of the two; she'd catch two or three episodes before feeling drowsy. She'd pull her feet up on the couch, and rest her head on the cushions. Oruga would cover her with a light blanket and switch the television off, giving her the opportunity to catch some much-needed rest.

This day wasn't any different; Ryuuko was settled on the couch, her eyes glued to the screen as she watched more episodes of her current favorite show. Oruga placed a small plate of cookies and a glass of milk on the coffee table sitting between the couch and the television. Ryuuko munched on the cookies while the episode was progressing. By the end of the second episode she was ready to give up on staying awake; yawning, she rested her head on the cushions and decided on resting for a bit. She will watch the rest later on, she reasoned before her eyes closed. The last thing she remembers was the beloved white seal from the cartoon looking at the birds and wanting to fly in the same manner that they did. It was funny.

Oruga checked on the napping teenager regularly; she has removed the plate and the glass to the kitchen, she has also switched off the television. She let the young girl sleep for nearly forty-five minutes before waking her up.

"What time is it?" The dark haired girl asked, one hand rubbing sleep out of her eyes.

"Almost five. Lady Satsuki will be back soon. Come, let's get you ready." She knows that the sisters were going to dine out, she also knows that Ryuuko has to be ready to head out as soon as her sister arrives. She picked an outfit while the younger sister was washing her face in the adjacent bathroom. It took her only a few minutes to get ready, with Oruga's help, and as she was climbing down the stairs, reaching the bottom at the same time as Satsuki had arrived.

"How was your day, Ryuuko?" Satsuki asked as she drove off, she hasn't left the car, Ryuuko was ready as they agreed and got into the car as soon as Satsuki pulled into the driveway.

"Good." Now that she had nothing keeping her busy, she wondered what this was about.

"You?"

"My day has been good as well, albeit a little too long, but that is taken care of for now."

"Mhm."

The rest of the car ride was silent, the older sister was going over the conversation they'd have later on over and over, wondering what would be the best approach to broach the topic without setting her sister off into a panic. On her end, Ryuuko was wondering what was going to happen. Satsuki told her it wasn't about taking her back, and in her book, nothing would top that in terms of bad things to happen to her.

"Ryuuko," Oh, hell, time was slipping, she needs to get this over with sooner than later. Dinner has been a pleasant affair, Ryuuko was enjoying a double chocolate chip sundae, while Satsuki sipped on steaming cup of jasmine tea.

"What is it?"

"You know that you're going to start attending school next semester—" She knows, she just didn't want to think about it because, in her mind, it was still far off.

"Of course, I won't just send you to school without taking precautions first, as your safety is of utmost importance."

"Then don't—"

"Let me finish.

"As I said, I will never put you in a situation where you will be harmed. I have spoken with the staff at Honnouji Academy and everyone is going to make sure of this. I was recommended a short visit to the school, you and I will go there and take a look at the place, see what it's like. What do you think?"

A head shake.

Don't make this any more difficult. Satsuki mused as she considered what to say next.

"It will be a very short visit, I will be with you the entire time. I know how difficult it is to think about this, but trust me Ryuuko, no harm will come your way. I will not allow it."

"B-But…I don't want to go, I can't go. You know I can't…No, let's not go. Satsuki please!"

Satsuki paid the bill quickly and took hold of her distraught younger sister. She helped her buckle up and took her seat behind the wheel, taking the familiar road back to the Kiryuuin mansion.

"When?" Ryuuko managed when they were halfway to the estate.

"Tomorrow."

"It's too soon!"

"It will only be a short affair. And remember, you won't be alone, I'm going to be with you."

"…"

"Ryuuko…"

The rest of the ride was finished in silence, Satsuki pulled up in front of the main door, allowing them to depart the car and enter the mansion within a short time interval. Ryuuko went up to her room, taking her usual bath and getting ready for bed. During this time, Satsuki was left to her own thoughts, wondering for the umpteenth time if her decision was the right one to make. Perhaps it's too early to take Ryuuko to school, even if it was a short visit.

Her trauma and abuse still fresh, going back is only going to make things worse. But she needs this visit, she insisted. Ryuuko is expected to attend regular classes next semester, doing so without easing her into it would only make matters worse. Those visits are crucial if Ryuuko is to recover and be able to attend as usual. Tomorrow is going to be the most insoluble of those days, after all, taking the first step is always the hardest. Nevertheless, she wasn't going to leave her sister to battle this on her own, if she could she'd fight her battle for her, but unfortunately, it wasn't possible. Instead, she'd remain by her side, holding her hand every step of the way until she feels able to let go and embark on this journey by herself.

She found Ryuuko sitting on her bed when she came into the younger one's room around thirty minutes later. Ryuuko was still silent, barely communicating at all. Satsuki was no fool, she knows that this apparent silence was concealing a raging storm underneath, the smaller girl having so much going on in her head to focus on anything else. Satsuki sat next to her, surprise took over as she almost immediately felt her sister grabbing into her, seeking safety and protection from the demons she thought she had buried, only for them to come looking for her when she was least expecting them. Satsuki didn't mind, she wrapped her arms around the smaller frame pressed against her, silently reassuring her that she would always be by her side, keeping her away from harm. If only she could do this earlier, if she had tried harder, she might have found Ryuuko earlier, might have saved her from enduring some of the abuse she had to endure for years. As she kept a tight hold on the smaller girl, Satsuki couldn't evade the guilt she was feeling. Often, she fantasized about the little sister she never got to meet. She had so many faces, so many names— If she focused less on those images and more on looking…She might have found Ryuuko sooner. It should not have taken her ten long years to find the one person she vowed to protect the moment she knew about her. So many empty promises; she couldn't fulfill any of them. Damage was already done, the child was already hurt and scared, there was nothing Satsuki could do now except to watch what her protracted search has resulted in.

She moved them away from the bed and into the rocking chair sitting by the window. It was open, allowing the cool breeze into the room, the night air was chill and fresh. She didn't let go of her sister once while she settled them on the rocking chair. It has become a favorite spot, as the continuous rocking seemed to sooth the little sister when she was feeling too high strung to relax. Of all the times it's been used, it has never failed to fulfill this task, not once.

"Everything is going to be okay." She knows Ryuuko wasn't going to believe her. It was understandable, Satsuki herself felt like a monster trying to send her to school after all that has happened. But this wasn't sending her to school just yet. It's only a short visit, one of many that would hopefully make the entire deal of starting school next semester easier.

Satsuki wasn't adamant about it, however. She has reasoned that if Ryuuko couldn't handle those short visits, then she'd put off school for the next year.

She wasn't sure if Ryuuko heard or comprehended her words. She was elsewhere, most likely trapped into a past she could not escape from. It was only tucked away, hidden while she went about her days, and now it came out of it's hiding at the prospect of her going near it. There was no rationalizing that. Nothing else was said, the rest of the night was spent in this room in the same position. Ryuuko was awake most of the night, her eyes focused on something outside of the open window, barely blinking or looking elsewhere. When she finally drifted to sleep, near three in the morning. Satsuki still didn't move. She couldn't risk waking her little sister, and thus, they both spent the night in the rocking chair. The bright sun rays and loud chirping birds waking them up in the morning.

Ryuuko was still silent, following Satsuki around as the latter picked an outfit for her younger sister to wear before heading out. Ryuuko crossed her arms, refusing to change. Satsuki knew something along those lines would occur. If anything, Ryuuko is quite stubborn, adding this stubbornness to her lack of emotional maturity, it can quickly turn into defiance. This time, however, it was within reason. Really, Satsuki didn't blame her one bit for being so adamant about not getting changed and heading to a school. Giving in to those emotions would not do anyone any good. In few months, Ryuuko would be attending school regularly and make new friends. This is much better and healthier than her staying around this house, the only people she knows are her sister and the rest of the staff.

"Ryuuko, I will give you exactly ten minutes to get changed and meet me downstairs. If you're not ready by then I will come up here and change you myself." Ryuuko might be stubborn, but Satsuki was just as determined. When Satsuki says something, she is ready to make it happen, nothing can stop her or stand in her way. Ryuuko isn't easily swayed either. Ten minutes is plenty enough time for her to flee out of the window and save herself this entire day. As soon as the door shut behind Satsuki, she uncrossed her arms and took quick steps to the still open window, looking at the ground underneath and trying to measure the distance. It wasn't anything that would put her off, she could jump from the window to the nearby tree, and climb down from there.

Simple.

Except for the several men dressed in black suits and dark sunglasses; two who were situated right under the window she was going to use for her escape. She could outrun them, even if the climb down would take more minutes to complete. The gate was shut, the walls surrounding the mansion were high and smooth. She would only be running in circles across the courtyard, and that would get her nowhere. Between the security guards and the fortified walls, Ryuuko backed from the window and sat on her bed, still frowning at the realization that she couldn't escape. Even when Satsuki returned ( she will return, the woman never went back on a single word she said ) Ryuuko would not move from her spot. Besides, she was still tired and sleep deprived, having only gotten few hours of sleep the night before.

"She can't make me, humph!" She muttered to herself, her eyes darting at the clock sitting on the bedside table, watching the minutes tick away. Yet, her resolve only seemed to ebb as time went by. After the passing of five full minutes, she had her arms uncrossed, still debating whether she should move or not. Guards might be situated outside of her window, by the door is still unguarded ( it was unguarded, right?) She could use that to make her escape. Five minutes is enough time for her to figure something out. Thus, she carefully left the bed and took careful steps towards the closed door. She placed an ear on the cool smooth surface, trying to see if her ear would detect any kind of sound that indicates the presence of anyone outside. She counted to twenty, gathering that it was quiet, hence safe enough for her to leave and make her grand escape.


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N** : This delay was brought to you by busy life & getting buried with paperwork & running from one place to another trying to get things done before deadlines rolled around. Anyhow~ Here is the latest update, R & R please so I'd know how this story is doing.

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There was no sound made as the door slowly opened. Ryuuko was careful, she turned the knob very slowly, only letting go of it after making sure that the door was open wide enough to be as soundless as possible. She poked her head outside, looking left and right, making sure the hallway was clear of anyone that might be keeping watch. To her luck and surprise, the coast was clear. Her barefoot moved slowly along the corridor; she still preferred to have a map of the place, but anything would do for now. Actually, she could use the size of the mansion and the many rooms in it to her advantage. They would, she reasoned, provide good hiding spots as she navigated her way towards the exit. If anything, she can lead everyone to follow her in circles, at least until it would be too late to go to school. Yes, even with so little at her disposal, and her only easy way out blocked, she can still make use of what little is left for her to work with. She knows where Satsuki's bedroom and office are, and she'd make sure to avoid these two doors, as Satsuki would most likely be in her office, no doubt watching the clock tick by before coming to get her.

After leaving Ryuuko's room, Satsuki retreated to her office. She was serious about the ten minutes, as any longer time would only encourage Ryuuko to rebel further. Satsuki knows that the younger girl would not comply, most likely relying on her window to make a quick escape. Hence, the presence of the guards throughout the courtyard, ensuring that no small dark haired girl with the red streak is caught loitering around. This precaution would not dissuade the girl, Satsuki knows. It will merely change her plans, force her into thinking of a different tactic while still going after what she wants. Satsuki would let her be, after all, she gave her full ten minutes. She will let Ryuuko have her game of hide and seek, if anything, it might take her mind off of the trauma and anxiety, even if only momentarily.

Ryuuko was careful as she walked through the hallways of the second floor, she avoided going in the direction of any maid that was busy cleaning something, as they would certainly report any activity on her side to her sister. She took advantage of the furniture that lined the walls, with her size, she could easily duck behind a table or a statue, hiding most of her body behind it until the coast was clear and safe for her to leave. It was a slow process, in Ryuuko's terms, but with dedication, she made it across the hall without being spotted. Had Satsuki or anyone else come, she didn't know. She didn't look back, in case someone was already looking for her, she'd be well out of sight before anyone would catch a glimpse of her. Ryuuko didn't have a set plan in motion, nothing aside from hiding and remaining invisible for most of the day. She is aware that getting out of the mansion is not doable due to the number of security guards outside, thus her aiming to head to the lower levels and seeking refuge there. The dojo seemed like a good place to go, it's big, and its about one floor underground. It will be the perfect place for her to hide in. But first, she needs to make her way there undetected.

Not all hope is lost, one advantage of being in such a big house was that she could use different routes to reach her destination. In her time here, Ryuuko has been doing a little exploring every now and then, this is not counting the times she got lost and just wandered around the place. Given the time, she figured that the best route to take is to use the small, almost hidden servants' stairs. It would take her directly to the cellar if she kept descending, and from there, she can try navigating her way to the dojo. It was really that simple. She detected the stairs nearly hidden somewhere between the library and a door of a room she hadn't explored yet, but this was hardly an issue right now, as she only needs to get to the library, which is on the opposite direction of Satsuki's office. Ryuuko made sure to stay clear of that area, or— it's better for her to remain hidden, only moving stealthily avoiding contact with anyone. Because once Satsuki is back in her room, she'd launch a search party looking for her. Oh well, this search would keep her sister busy, buying her more time to reach her destination.

Sister…She wonders when she warmed up to the idea enough to not only consider it but to say it in her mind. Satsuki is her sister, true, it was how the two are related, but Ryuuko didn't feel anything towards the title. She chocked on it whenever she tried to utter it, as it was still foreign and outright absurd to consider. She wouldn't deny all that Satsuki has done to her since she got here. As, indeed, she was shown nothing but kindness. Satsuki kept a close watch on everything, never letting her feel any sort of discomfort, let alone come to any harm. She has been nothing but good so far. For the first time ever, Ryuuko had someone looking out for her. She was confused at first, not sure how to handle it or respond to it. Yet she didn't reject it; she was accepting of it, for the most part, going as far as enjoying some of the things they got to do on a daily basis. She not only enjoyed what they've been doing but has also gotten used to it. She liked it when she met Satsuki in the morning before she left for work, she loved it when she'd come back from work, going out together was always fun, and she looked forward to that. By now, Ryuuko was used to having the older girl around, and in turn, this sense of safety has made her more relaxed. Her sleeping has improved, and she is now able to remain asleep for longer.

She wondered if this is what family means? When she first arrived, she would repeat to herself that this strange woman was her full-blooded sister. The more she said it, perhaps, the easier it will get to believe it. It wasn't about how many times she'd say it, Ryuuko discovered. It came out when she was having one of her down moments. Sometimes, she'd be feeling too much at once, it would overwhelm her, make her lash out at everyone that happens to be around. She admits, it has occurred more than one time. Sometimes, out of nowhere, she would get overwhelmed. Suddenly, she is unable to process anything, her breathing would get faster as her anger surged, it made no sense to her yet she acted upon it. Yelling obscenities and throwing the nearest item, a flower vase, on the wall, shattering it and having the broken glass bounce off the wall, nearly cutting into her face. But she wasn't thinking of this at the time, she was still blinded by whatever emotion that was possessing her, making her unaware of her actions, not until the storm would pass and she'd calm down.

Satsuki was walking towards Ryuuko's room one evening. The younger girl was mostly grumpy and had retreated to her room while still grumbling at this or that. Satsuki gave her her space. When it comes to emotions, Ryuuko wasn't all that good at handling them. They'd often overwhelm her, making her frustrated and angry at the smallest of things. This immaturity was a two-way street, as Satsuki would and could easily distract and redirect the young one's feelings elsewhere, evading what otherwise would be a meltdown. It was mostly trial and error; sometimes she'd succeed in her diversions, and sometimes, nothing she did or said changed the outcome, forcing her to wait out the storm. Thankfully, those fits never lasted long, but they were mighty intense. She'd remain in the same room, albeit a good distance from her overwhelmed little sister, as she did not want to risk Ryuuko hurting herself physically on top of the emotional pain that was ripping at her right at the moment. As much as Satsuki wanted to give her space and time to sort her feelings out, she didn't want to put Ryuuko in any unnecessary danger.

Thus, when she heard the loud crash coming from Ryuuko's room, Satsuki hurried in the direction of the room. Opening the door, she was met with the sight of her young sister, barefoot, her breathing labored, countless shards of broken glass scattered not too far from the bare feet…It was a mess. Doubting that her words would be heard, let alone comprehended, she approached carefully.

"Leave me alone!" She took a step back, inching closer to the broken glass.

"Do. Not. Move." Satsuki kept her tone low and even, yet it still held enough authority that would, hopefully, stop Ryuuko from any further movement. At least until she is safely moved out of the room.

"Get out—!" Voice growing higher in tone, one foot stepping on a broken glass that used to house several flowers, all of which shattered to small pieces and trampled on the floor not far from what used to be their vase. This did it for Satsuki, Ryuuko'd irrationality and unpredictable-ness would not allow for a slow approach. If there was no broken glass on the floor, it might have worked. But for now, Satsuki had to improvise. She approached her upset sister and picked her up with ease, ignoring the other's attempts to try and leave her firm grip. There was only so much Ryuuko would do when her feet were well above the ground.

"Let me go!"

"Put me down!"

"I hate you!"

She kept yelling and bucking all the way to Satsuki's room, where the door was closed on them. Not minding the still struggling teen Satsuki sat them on the sofa, her arms wrapping around the smaller tense body. Ryuuko tried to push away, rejecting any sort of touch, regardless of its nature. As she struggled, her yells intensified, trying in vain to push Satsuki away so that she can flee the room altogether. None of that could happen, however, as Satsuki didn't relent in her tight hold. Her arms keeping Ryuuko close and secure, it was an attempt at absorbing the anger and intense emotions. Redirecting them, hoping that they would pass soon and free the young girl from their clutches. The angry tantrum didn't last long, as Satsuki soon felt the tense shoulders slump, their owner growing quiet, turning to face her with a mighty pout and teary eyes.

"I don't….hate… you…"

"I'm s-sorry!"

She'd finally slump against her, head resting on her shoulder as Ryuuko finally cried all that has been bothering her up to the point where she couldn't process it. Satsuki wouldn't say a word, she'd hold her and rub her back, give her all the time she needs to process everything. The floodgates were open, as much as it pained her to listen to the aggrieved cries, she knows that Ryuuko needs to process them, she needs to let everything out of her system, no matter how long it takes. Satsuki would console herself with the fact that she is present with Ryuuko at the moment, being both physically and emotionally close to her would give her solace during this time. She'd remain quiet, not saying a word, as this was a time for Ryuuko to make sense of things, it wasn't about her at all, not this time around. The sobs would eventually subside, after how long, she wouldn't know. It would be a while, in which time she'd shift their position. Ryuuko still in her arms, she'd lean her back on the armrest of the couch, long legs stretched with her distraught sister laying on top of her. Eventually, Ryuuko had cried herself to sleep. Even then, Satsuki hadn't made any attempts to move. She remained in her spot for near an hour, only allowing herself to move when the relaxed body tensed once again as it regained consciousness.

At the recollection of this incident, not an isolated one, but one of many, Ryuuko felt ashamed. She was hiding in one of the vacant rooms she found when she landed downstairs. The table held a small white vase with flowers in it, reminding her of the one she shattered during one of her episodes. This was no way to repay Satsuki for all that she did for her. To run away, hiding and wasting her sister's time… Satsuki wasn't going to the main office because she wanted to take Ryuuko to visit the new school, to be with her for the entire day. What did she do in return? This. There was no hope for her; after all, she is a horrid person who drove everyone away. Her appalling behavior is what led to her being abandoned by everyone. She knows that at one point, Satsuki would have enough. She took her in, gave her a house and a room, got her clothes and everything she wants…

Satsuki was nice to her.

She didn't hit her.

She didn't lock her in a dark room.

She didn't yell at her.

With emotions gripping at her, Ryuuko bolted out of the room, running back towards the second floor.

"Satsuki!"

"Satsuki!"

Was she mad at her?

Or, did she already leave for work?

Maybe she decided that Ryuuko wasn't worth it in the end. Having run away and hidden somewhere— She ran up the stairs, two steps at a time, letting her legs take her to the office where she hoped to find Satsuki. Taking the usual turn to the corridor the housed the spacious room, she barely knocked on the door before turning the knob, surprised at the invisible punch she felt in her gut at the sight of the empty office.

"I knew it…"

"Knew what?"

She jumped in surprise at the voice she's become very accustomed to. Turning her head, she saw the woman in question behind her.

"You're still here?"

"Where else would I go?"

"I…dunno. Work, maybe?"

"I believe we have something to do today. Now, stop looking so sad and get ready, the car is already waiting outside."

"Mhm…"

The look on Ryuuko's face didn't go unnoticed by the attentive older sister. She wrapped one arm around the small shoulders, leading them both towards Ryuuko's room to get her ready for the day. Ryuuko was quiet, the earlier fire she harbored while she escaped her room was completely gone. Satsuki wondered to herself about what could have brought this change, even though, she had a vague idea about it. Good thing she had the rest of the day off, her presence would be required in more ways than one. For now, she needs to be available at all times. Should she be needed at HQ, Ryuuko would accompany her, having her under her watchful eye is the only way she can be assured of her younger sister's emotional and physical wellbeing.

Ryuuko remained silent as she finished getting ready, not really paying attention to what she was doing or wearing. In her mind, she both wanted to get this over with, and try to escape from it in any way possible, whichever was more doable. But really, whenever she thought of escaping, an unknown guilt would creep on her out of nowhere, reminding her of Satsuki's kindness and her own ungratefulness. Hence, she remained compliant from the moment she found Satsuki (or Satsuki found her, given the circumstances) and until she sat in the car next to her sister. Ryuuko avoided eye contact and any semblance of conversation, opting to look out of the window, at the passing trees, as the car made its way to the school. She tried not to think of it, much. As much as she tried, images of past events kept invading her thoughts, bringing out memories she wanted to busy and move away from.

She is not an exemplary student by any means, she knows that her behavior and academic performance prompted those…punishments she received. They were justified, as she'd be made to see the error of her ways and why it needs to be corrected. She knows all of this—Yet, it made her feel unpleasant. Try as she might, she realized she didn't want to be in that position anymore. She hasn't been, for a while now. She was safe back in the house, no one could hurt her there. But, to be away at a school for several hours each day…To not have Satsuki within reach—Ryuuko realized she didn't want to face this anymore. She was about to voice this, her desire to not do this today, right now. It's better if the car turned around and went back the way it came from. As she was about to speak, finally coming out of her thoughts, she realized that the car was slowing down and coming to a complete stop.

Ryuuko swallowed hard, her face growing paler as she saw the building they were parked in front of.

"Sa… I— No, I can't!" Panic was already gripping at her, making her want to find an exit out of this situation. She couldn't be here, she couldn't be inside of this building. It was still too soon. Ryuuko didn't want to do this anymore.

"Let's go back!" Tears pricking at her eyes, lower lip quivering in dreaded anticipation. A cold shiver nearly shook her, reminding her of what will happen once she is inside of those walls. Old clock ticking too loudly in the otherwise quiet room, she's sitting there alone, just as she's been instructed. She didn't want to get in any more trouble than she was already in. Everyone else has left, gone home. She could have left with everyone else, but, some things need to be taken care of fist. The windows would be closed, the blinds were drawn, the lights on the ceiling lighting the room brightly. She would endure, she has to. She needs to learn to take her punishment quietly, not to drag it out and make matters worse. But she never did; her resolve would crack, pain and fear would take over, throwing all of her plans out of the window. She didn't want to go back to school, she wanted to go back to the safety of Satsuki's place, she wants to be close to Satsuki. Satsuki was good, she wouldn't let anyone hurt her.

Looking out the window at the foreboding building, she spotted a figure walking towards their car. "Don't let them take me!" As soon as she finished her sentence, she was pulled from her seat, landing in Satsuki's lap, having the older sister's arms around her. Satsuki was having second thoughts, seeing Ryuuko's face lose its color, a steady stream of silent tears running down her face. She wanted to turn back, take Ryuuko away from a place that plagued her for so long. As soon as she had the smaller girl in her lap, she could feel Ryuuko tensing, then slumping against her as heavy sobs shook her small frame.

"No one is taking you away from me." She reassured, not loosening her hold on the frightened girl. She noticed the counselor approaching their parked car. Satsuki nodded her head at the woman, who was standing right outside the car now.

"P-P-Promise?"

"I promise."

Ryuuko nearly bolted out of the car when the door opened, the approaching figure getting in the car with them and closing the door. Urushima remained silent, waiting for the meltdown to subside before she'd start talking. It took some time, but eventually, the sobs turned into sniffles, and Ryuuko was quiet at last. Hiccuping every now and then, still in the safety of her sister's arms, not turning her head or acknowledging the woman sitting in the backseat next to them.

"Hello, Ryuuko."

"…"

Of course, it wasn't going to be that easy.

"My name is Honoka Urushima, I'm Honnouji Academy's counselor, and I'll help you with easing back to attending school." She made her intention very clear, reassuring the girl that her role is to help, not harm.

Ryuuko remained facing the other way, still seeking safety from her sister's arms around her. She listened to the woman's words, not really believing them, her eyes still trained on the building she didn't want to go inside.

"How about we take you on a small tour of the school? Just to get you familiar with it— Darling, look at me."

Ryuuko didn't move.

"Ryuuko…I promise you nothing is going to happen. Just a small walk inside the school, nothing else. You won't be alone, your big sister will be with you at all times." Urushima preferred making eye contact, but as things were, this is the best she could do. Leaving the car and closing the door behind her, Urushima left enough space between her and the car, giving the sisters enough space to open their door and step outside.

As Satsuki opened the door, she could feel Ryuuko latching into her. Arms wrapped around her neck, legs around her waist, Ryuuko refused to let go.

"…go home, Satsuki—"

"We will go home after this. I promise you." Satsuki kept a supporting arm around Ryuuko. She stepped outside the car, carrying her sister who still refused to untangle herself from her. Being underweight, Ryuuko was hardly a burden to carry. And thus, Satsuki followed the counselor inside the school, her free hand rubbing soothing circles on her sister's back.

"Alright, here we are. The wing we're entering is the administrative wing. Students rarely come here, as its mostly faculty staff, principal, and vice principal's offices. See that door over there?"

A little curious, Ryuuko looked in the direction of the door.

"That's where the secretary is. She's always sitting there at her desk, making phone calls to parents as soon as she is requested to do so."

"Now at the end of this hall, you'll see the nurse's office. See those chairs outside that door? That's the waiting area in case things got…crowded. Next to that door is my office, we'll go there once this tour is over. How are you holding up?"

Ryuuko was still wearing a frown, but her eyes were following the woman, looking around her and familiarizing herself with the place. Certainly, this school looked nothing like her old school. She was still not sure about this whole thing, and she was glad that Satsuki was with her.

"….fine…" She mumbled, half burying her face in Satsuki's shoulder, nearly muffling her response.

Urushima led them towards a staircase, which they climbed to the second floor.

"This is the faculty staircase, if any of us needed to get to the students, we'd use it to get us there quickly. Now on this wing here, this door to the right leads to the art classes. There are four rooms in total. The door opposite from it is the music room." She, then, led them back downstairs and right into her office. It was enough for the first visit, as she didn't want to overwhelm the girl. Urushima was aiming for a steady progress. Dividing the tour over several days, reassuring the girl and showing her that is going to be safe here. She knows all that has happened in Ryuuko's previous school. To be honest, she didn't blame the child for being so scared at the prospect of going to back to school. As what she has gone through would be haunting her for a while. Nevertheless, Urushima was very attentive to the students, and she never sat still and did nothing when one of her students needed her help. She was determined to help Ryuuko, and she won't rest until the girl is able to attend classes with the least issues possible.

Urushima's office wasn't exactly an office. The room had two couches facing each other, a coffee table in the middle. One side of the room held a cabinet full of snacks. A coffee machine and an electric kettle sitting on one counter. Sitting down, Ryuuko finally untangled herself from her sister, sitting next to her. She didn't sense any danger from the woman, and she could, perhaps, do this. Urushima placed three teacups on the table, a plate of freshly baked cookies sitting in the middle. Certainly, this wasn't like anything Ryuuko has seen or experienced in a school ever before.

"So," Urushima began, feigning business with setting the coffee table while keeping a keen eye on her young charge.

"How do you like the school so far?"

"Dunno…" Ryuuko mumbled, shuffling closer to Satsuki. She'd be honest, with herself at least, and admit that she was somehow less apprehensive. She wasn't ready or willing to start school yet, as she did not want to be in this building on her own, but having Satsuki with her made it not so bad. There was no telling what would happen once she is alone. Ryuuko didn't want to think of it, it brought all the unpleasant feelings and memories she tried to keep at bay. There was nothing wrong with her being homeschooled. She didn't mind studying much, and having one teacher was good enough for her. She was doing well academically, her exams are certified, and she could not understand why she can't continue doing that.

"This might feel too sudden," The councilor interrupted her thoughts, bringing her back to reality.

"Coming to school must not be easy. I know that you're scared of the idea of going back, to be sitting in a classroom for hours every day. Believe me, Ryuuko, I do. But—I want you to think of starting over, none of the bad things that happened to you will happen here, I promise you." Urushima hoped that her words would somewhat ease the teen into relaxing and perhaps consider attending regularly.

"And—If anything was to happen, I want you to never hesitate to come to me. I will help you no matter what, I won't leave you by yourself in this new environment. We will take small steps until you feel that you're ready to handle school on your own. But for now, your sister and I will be with you every step of the way."

Ryuuko listened to the woman talking, even as she appeared uninterested; her eyes darting around the room, one of her hands clutching Satsuki's shirt tightly, afraid to loosen her grip. But really, despite her appearance, she took in every word the woman has said. Turning them around her head, wondering if she can do this. True, walking through the different hallways of the school made the place seem less scary. But it wasn't enough to persuade her to attend classes on her own.

"…"

The three of them settled into silence, the two adults gauging the teenager's reaction to all of this. Ryuuko remained glued to her sister's side, not touching her tea or reaching for a cookie. She was still high strung, seeking her sister's protection. Satsuki was both worried about Ryuuko, and happy that she trusted her enough to latch into her in such a way. She would take Ryuuko's demeanor as a good sign. She was sitting next to her, one foot tapping nervously, but she was listening to what Urushima was saying. Despite everything, she was now less timid than she was ten minutes ago, that was a good sign as far as Satsuki is concerned.

"Well then, shall we continue?"

During the rest of the visit, Ryuuko was quiet yet somewhat attentive. She walked next to Satsuki, her hand not letting go of the older sister's shirt. As if it was her last line of support and she'd be lost without it. Satsuki didn't press the matter and was glad that her sister was somewhat comfortable now. As their visit neared its end, the three of them stood by the door which they have entered from.

"Well then, this concludes our visit for today. We only covered the first floor, however. I want you to look at the classrooms and other student facilities. Say~ How about next Tuesday? Come back here for another visit to finish this school tour, okay?"

A small nod was Ryuuko's response, the usual frown slowly creeping back to her face at the thought of returning here. Even though she did not really mind the visit much. Since the entire past hour had gone by without any incident. She knew the councilor's name, she knew how to get to and from her office (in the case she couldn't handle being in the classroom any longer), she was told that she will not be pressured into anything. Her teachers would be informed to not pressure her into anything, and she has free reign to leave the classroom and come to Urushima's office whenever she felt the need. Better yet, Satsuki would be contacted as soon as the younger sister wanted. Thus, with those terms and a schedule of another visit the next week, Ryuuko decided that she could try coming here for more visits before officially starting at this new school.


End file.
